Virtual Campus

Summary:

Virtual Campus is a public virtual high school serving grades 9-12 in the Des Moines Independent Community School District, with a relatively large student population of 668. The school's academic performance has consistently underperformed compared to state and district averages, with lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and other subject areas across all grade levels.

Virtual Campus has consistently ranked in the bottom tier of Iowa high schools, receiving a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. This low ranking and rating suggest the school is not performing well compared to other high schools in the state. Additionally, Virtual Campus has a high percentage of students (79.49%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating it serves a predominantly low-income student population, which may contribute to the school's academic challenges.

While Virtual Campus struggles academically, the nearby traditional high schools in the Des Moines Independent Community School District also perform below state averages in many subject areas. This suggests the academic challenges faced by Virtual Campus may be reflective of broader systemic issues within the district. The school's diverse student population, with a higher percentage of minority students compared to nearby traditional high schools, could be an asset, but may also present unique challenges in meeting the diverse needs of its learners.

Detail:

Public, Virtual 9-12

1800 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309

(515) 242-8502

District: Des Moines Independent Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
314^th of 338 Iowa High Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 18.7

Number of students: 387

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.1%

Hispanic:

26.9%

African American:

11.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 64.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Virtual Campus is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 3.74. (See more...)

Compare Details Virtual Campus ranks worse than 92.9% of high schools in Iowa. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 8.91. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Virtual Campus who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Schooldigger Rankings:

Virtual Campus was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Virtual Campus 314^th of 338 Iowa public high schools. (See Virtual Campus in the ranking list.)

Des Moines Independent Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Des Moines Independent Community School District 301^st of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Virtual Campus

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	6.89	322^nd	337	4.5%
2023	3.74	322^nd	334	3.6%

See the entire list of Iowa High School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Iowa Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Virtual Campus

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IA State Percentile
2022	17.25	295^th	332	11.1%
2023	5.20	322^nd	336	4.2%
2024	8.91	314^th	338	7.1%

See the entire list of Iowa High School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Iowa Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Virtual Campus

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2020	68	19	3	34	0	0	10	0	134
2021	135	40	5	51	1	1	25	0	258
2022	378	173	56	249	9	1	69	0	935
2023	307	96	28	178	4	3	51	1	668
2024	190	44	15	104	2	0	28	4	387

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Virtual Campus

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2020	134	12.8	10.4	80.6
2021	258	13.7	18.8	75.6
2022	935	28.4	32.9	79.5
2023	668	38.5	17.3	79.5
2024	387	20.6	18.7	64.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Virtual Campus

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2020	134	12.8	10.4	80.6
2021	258	13.7	18.8	75.6
2022	935	28.4	32.9	79.5
2023	668	38.5	17.3	79.5
2024	387	20.6	18.7	64.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Schools Near Virtual Campus

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ISASP English Language Arts (2024)			ISASP Mathematics (2024)			ISASP Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Virtual Campus	Public, Virtual	9-12	1800 Grand Avenue	Des Moines	50309	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(515) 242-8502	387	21	18.7	64.1%	190 (49.1%)	44 (11.4%)	104 (26.9%)	15 (3.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.2%)	8.9	314^th of 338 public high schools	7.1%		5.2	322^nd of 336 public high schools	4.2%	8	52.1	64.3	61.1	33.3	40.0	30.1	34.3
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	2600 SW 9th St	Des Moines	50315	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7500	2,441	89	27.2	66.3%	815 (33.4%)	382 (15.6%)	911 (37.3%)	188 (7.7%)	8 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	130 (5.3%)	2.7	324^th of 338 public high schools	4.1%		4.5	324^th of 336 public high schools	3.6%		43.4	45.1	47.4	30.9	37.2	37.8	33.1	$14,888	$697	$14,190
Roosevelt High School	Public	9-12	4419 Center St	Des Moines	50312	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7272	2,039	67	30.5	47.9%	898 (44.0%)	515 (25.3%)	353 (17.3%)	71 (3.5%)	10 (0.5%)	7 (0.3%)	173 (8.5%)	22.5	290^th of 338 public high schools	14.2%		22.8	286^th of 336 public high schools	14.9%	4	66.7	63.8	60.2	56.3	57.5	53.9	43.5	$14,829	$690	$14,140
East High School	Public	9-12	815 E 13th St	Des Moines	50316	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7788	2,014	85	23.5	69.5%	501 (24.9%)	332 (16.5%)	915 (45.4%)	134 (6.7%)	13 (0.6%)	6 (0.3%)	110 (5.5%)	2.1	326^th of 338 public high schools	3.6%		2.6	328^th of 336 public high schools	2.4%	2	41.8	43.8	47.7	28.4	33.4	38.3	27.3	$14,908	$672	$14,236
North High School	Public	9-12	501 Holcomb Ave	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(515) 242-7200	1,514	68	22.2	75.0%	301 (19.9%)	387 (25.6%)	558 (36.9%)	161 (10.6%)	11 (0.7%)	4 (0.3%)	91 (6.0%)	2.2	325^th of 338 public high schools	3.8%		2.1	329^th of 336 public high schools	2.1%	4	46.0	46.4	41.2	36.0	39.4	30.9	27.2	$15,636	$747	$14,889
Walnut Creek Campus	Public	9-12	1020 8th Street	West Des Moines	50265	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-6480	165	14	11.7	52.1%	89 (53.9%)	26 (15.8%)	29 (17.6%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (10.9%)	1.2	328^th of 338 public high schools	3.0%		4	325^th of 336 public high schools	3.3%	3	50.0	47.2	39.3	10.0	22.2	17.9	28.6	$18,513	$197	$18,315
Hoover High School	Public	9-12	4800 Aurora Ave	Des Moines	50310	Polk County	Des Moines Independent Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 242-7300	923	41	22.5	69.7%	174 (18.9%)	303 (32.8%)	231 (25.0%)	149 (16.1%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (6.2%)	4.8	321^st of 338 public high schools	5.0%		7.8	316^th of 336 public high schools	6.0%	5	42.2	55.6	48.3	28.8	43.1	38.9	38.1	$17,790	$689	$17,101
Urbandale High School	Public	9-12	7111 Aurora Avenue	Urbandale	50322	Polk County	Urbandale Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 457-6800	1,311	93	14.0	34.3%	856 (65.3%)	91 (6.9%)	206 (15.7%)	78 (5.9%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (5.6%)	34.3	263^rd of 338 public high schools	22.2%		43.5	219^th of 336 public high schools	34.8%	44	74.8	70.7	62.7	57.0	64.7	56.8	51.7	$11,428	$388	$11,040
Saydel High School	Public	9-12	5601 NE 7th St	Des Moines	50313	Polk County	Saydel Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 262-9325	440	29	15.0	58.4%	307 (69.8%)	4 (0.9%)	91 (20.7%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.5%)	12.6	308^th of 338 public high schools	8.9%		8.5	313^th of 336 public high schools	6.8%	5	51.5	61.4	40.4	40.6	60.2	46.3	42.1	$15,532	$350	$15,182
Valley High School	Public	10-12	3650 Woodland Ave	West Des Moines	50266	Polk County	West Des Moines Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 633-4000	2,111	123	17.1	26.7%	1,226 (58.1%)	244 (11.6%)	405 (19.2%)	110 (5.2%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	121 (5.7%)	46.7	212^th of 338 public high schools	37.3%		55.2	162^nd of 336 public high schools	51.8%	50		74.1	70.3		66.8	68.2	56.9	$15,551	$791	$14,760

Frequently Asked Questions about Virtual Campus

What is the racial makeup of Virtual Campus?

Students at Virtual Campus are 49% White, 27% Hispanic, 11% African American, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% Not Specified.

How many students attend Virtual Campus?

In the 2023-24 school year, 387 students attended Virtual Campus.

Is Virtual Campus a good school?

Virtual Campus ranks in the bottom 7.1% of Iowa high schools.

What district is Virtual Campus in?

Des Moines Independent Community School District

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.