2025 Compare Cities Education:
Santa Rosa, CA vs West Des Moines, IA

Change Cities
Highlights
- West Des Moines spends 15.2% less per student than Santa Rosa.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 25.4% lower in West Des Moines than in Santa Rosa. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- West Des Moines had 13.0% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Santa Rosa
 Santa Rosa, CAWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$14,293$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$13,921  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,373$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio20.82  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock7994573
 Students per Counselor399  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.3%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.6.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock96.6%88.9%
 Some College Educ.23.2%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock9.6%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.34.3%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock13.3%9.3%
 Professional Degree3.0%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.6%1.5%
Reviews for Santa Rosa    43 Reviews

I was born and raised here. Santa Rosa used to be a great city great location great weather but now it is overcrowded and crime is off the charts and housing is crazy  More

   |    Reply

I've lived her over 20 years and it's a pretty nice place. The main vibe is you feel safe doing this day or night. Most of the neighborhoods are well taken care of, they  More

   |    Reply

Terrible city that's hurting for money. After going on a long hiatus from enforcing traffic laws, they've recently turned their highways into an ATM machine/cash cow by  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Santa Rosa

Reviews for West Des Moines    4 Reviews

Over 16 years ago

I just moved here from out-of-state a few months ago and have been pleasantly surprised by the broad range of activities and amenities available in this medium sized IA  More

   |    Reply

Over 16 years ago

Am contemplating a move to WDM from the East Coast (NYC). Might there be anyone out there that may have experienced this and could offer guidance or comment. Thanks.   More

   |    Reply

We just moved to West Des Moines and we love it here! We moved here three months ago and every weekend we have been able to do something different and fun. There is  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of West Des Moines


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.