2026 Compare Cities Education:
West Des Moines, IA vs Richmond, VA

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Highlights
- Richmond spends 8.1% more per student than West Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 7.2% lower in Richmond than in West Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Richmond had 9.2% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to West Des Moines
 West Des Moines, IARichmond, VAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$15,456$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$8,210$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock2414573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock4.7%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.1%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock87.7%88.9%
 Some College Educ.17.1%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock5.0%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.53.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock12.1%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.1%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock2.2%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 Richmond    109 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

Lived here for a year and it’s not perfect but it’s constantly improving now (areas redevloped, more businesses, job growth). Cost of living is great compared to  More

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Over 5 years ago

We love Richmond so much that when we talk about where we'd like to live if we could live anywhere in the US, we always come back to RVA. We live in the city proper  More

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Over 5 years ago

I'm an out-of-towner but am coming up on 1 year in Richmond. I would summarize it this way: the best thing and the worst thing about Richmond is its location. I'll  More

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