2026 Compare Cities Education:
West Des Moines, IA vs Austin, TX

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Highlights
- Austin spends 38.4% more per student than West Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 6.4% lower in Austin than in West Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Austin had 6.3% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to West Des Moines
 West Des Moines, IAAustin, TXUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$19,780$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$6,081$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock8054573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock5.3%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.1%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.6%88.9%
 Some College Educ.17.1%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock5.4%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.53.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock14.9%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.1%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock2.6%1.5%
Reviews for West Des Moines    4 Reviews

Over 17 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

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Over 17 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

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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

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Reviews for Austin    449 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

Good place to visit.  More

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Austin is too expensive. Let's get that out of the way. Other than that it is a fun city. Ladybird Lake makes the city, imo. The ability to stand up paddle, kayak, walk  More

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The city continues to grow quickly, which a lot of people don't like. I get it, you fall in love with a city, and it's growing so fast that you don't recognize the same  More

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