2026 Compare Cities Education:
West Des Moines, IA vs Gastonia, NC

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Highlights
- Gastonia spends 23.5% less per student than West Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 0.7% higher in Gastonia than in West Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Gastonia had 10.8% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to West Des Moines
 West Des Moines, IAGastonia, NCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$10,935$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$5,639$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock6544573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock4.5%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.1%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock86.2%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.  Unlock6.4%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.1%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock0.6%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 Gastonia    11 Reviews

Over 6 years ago

This city is about Greed. Council does not care about the citizens. The only hospital pays the city millions so they can be on hospital. Quality of care I rate a 2. Low  More

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Over 8 years ago

I AMFROM FLORIDA THE SUNSHINE STATE AND I AM LOOKING TO MAKE A MOVE TOWARD GASTONIA, NC. I AM A SINGLE PARENT OF 4 AND FEEL THAT THE RIGHT MOVE FOR MY FAMILY WOULD BE  More

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Over 18 years ago

The schools are overcrowded but the county is trying to rectify the situation by building new  More

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