How are the schools in Des Moines, IA?

Des Moines has 48 public schools in federal filings, 48 with enough reported data to grade. 79% of graded schools rate A or B on reported-incident data. 37 schools reported zero bullying incidents in the most recent federal collection. Per-school grades appear in NeighborhoodSense address reports.

What is the air quality in Des Moines, IA?

EPA monitoring for Polk County recorded a median AQI of 44 with 64% good air days in 2025. That median is better than 11% of monitored IA counties.

Are there toxic chemical releases in Des Moines, IA?

17 facilities in Des Moines report chemical releases to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. Reported releases include 3,553 lbs of carcinogen-class chemicals. Facility locations relative to a specific address appear in NeighborhoodSense reports.

Is Des Moines, IA safe?

NeighborhoodSense doesn't rate cities as safe or unsafe. Instead we compile the public record — reported school incidents, EPA chemical releases, air quality, hospital patient experience, and more — so you can weigh the facts for any specific address in Des Moines.

City data / IA / Des Moines

Des Moines, IA: The Full Public Record

3,553 pounds of cancer-linked chemical releases. 48 schools with federal incident records. 1 hospitals rated by their own patients. All public record — compiled in one place for Des Moines, and available in full for any address in it.

Schools

Federal civil-rights filings cover 48 schools in Des Moines, including 3 high schools. 48 report enough data to grade on reported incidents. Across those, 79% rate A or B.

A 19

B 19

C 9

D 1

In the most recent federal collection, schools here reported 14 bullying allegations, 14 weapon incidents.

School-by-school grades, incident counts, and which schools serve a given address In the address report

Academic access

2 schools offer Advanced Placement courses. 1 offer dual enrollment for college credit. 42 run gifted & talented programs.

Which schools — with course counts, athletics, and counselor staffing In the address report

Chemical releases

17 facilities in Des Moines report chemical releases to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. Their filings include 3,553 pounds of carcinogen-class releases.

Largest reported releases by weight: n-Hexane (606,746 lbs), Lead (3,464 lbs), Xylene (mixed isomers) (1,120 lbs).

Facility names, locations, and distance from a specific address In the address report

Air quality

EPA monitoring for Polk County recorded a median AQI of 44 in 2025, with good air on 64% of monitored days. 11% of monitored IA counties recorded worse air — most recorded better.

Hospitals — rated by their patients

1 hospitals operate within 15 miles of central Des Moines; 1 carry federal patient-experience scores. On average, 82% of patients said doctors communicated well. 82% would recommend their hospital.

92% — nurses communicated well
71% — medications clearly explained
83% — clear discharge instructions
84% — rooms rated clean

Which hospital is which — scores and infection data by name, plus distance from any address In the address report

Fatal police incidents

Public records document 8 fatal police shooting incidents in Des Moines over the tracked period. Locations relative to a specific address appear in address reports.

Broader crime figures for Des Moines are collected at the city level by the FBI's national reporting system; NeighborhoodSense presents them at that level, labeled as city-level — not attributed to any street or block.

Local economy

Polk County's economy is classified as growing in federal employment data with 1.2% job growth over the tracked decade, average annual pay of $72,884, and 19,939 registered businesses.

Every address in Des Moines has its own report

The figures above are city and county totals. The address report shows the five schools serving a specific home, facility distances, hospital names and scores, and more — from the same official sources.

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