2026 Compare Cities Education:
West Des Moines, IA vs La Crosse, WI

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Highlights
- La Crosse spends 11.3% more per student than West Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 19.5% lower in La Crosse than in West Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- La Crosse had 1.9% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to West Des Moines
 West Des Moines, IALa Crosse, WIUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$15,911$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$8,071$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock3364573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.7%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.1%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock94.8%88.9%
 Some College Educ.17.1%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock12.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.53.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock8.9%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.1%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.7%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 La Crosse    17 Reviews

Beth · 
Over 5 years ago

My family recently relocated here from the west coast. This town is a hidden gem. If you like hiking, biking, festivals, nightlife and river life, you’ll love LAX. While  More

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Over 5 years ago

This city sucks. First off, the people born and raised here think its great, but its a small little dump tbh. Very clicky and there nothing to do besides drinking at the  More

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I have lived in La Crosse for almost 30 years. Its basically a dying town. Their is not much of a future hear unless you like fish fry's on Friday night or going to  More

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