2025 Compare Cities Education:
West Des Moines, IA vs Bellingham, WA

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Highlights
- Bellingham spends 20.4% more per student than West Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 10.2% higher in Bellingham than in West Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Bellingham had 2.1% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to West Des Moines
 West Des Moines, IABellingham, WAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,213$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$8,672$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock12124573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.7%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.1%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock94.6%88.9%
 Some College Educ.17.1%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock11.0%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.53.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock12.9%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.1%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
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

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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

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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 Bellingham    58 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

I've lived in so many cities in 5 west coast states and have come to a conclusion that Bellingham is the greatest city to live, work, play and raise a family. After  More

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Over 4 years ago

From what I’ve seen and heard, the very liberal political/ethical beliefs of Bellingham residents, as well as the grey rainy weather, are the main things a few people  More

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If you’re like many Americans and caught up in right vs left you won’t like the far left here in Bellingham wa. If you put politics away and you enjoy skiing,  More

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