You've seen Northwest High School. What are your child's real college odds? Check any college in 10 seconds — no email needed — then get the free Family Decision Report: Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely + the real cost range for every college on their list. Check odds →

How Northwest High School compares for families

What families should know about Northwest High School.

  • LocallyIA students outperform the US average on NAEP 8th-grade math (+8 points).
  • vs Similar SchoolsThe closest comparables nearby: Waukee High School, Johnston Senior High School, Urbandale High School and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.

For Parents

Get alerts when Northwest High School's numbers change

New admissions results, enrollment shifts, test scores — a few alerts a year, no spam. Your email also saves your list across devices.

Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.

Federal Title I context

Lower-need school

Not Title I eligible (FRPL < 25%)

11.6%
FRPL rate — % of students who qualify for the federal Free or Reduced-Price Lunch program. This is the underlying federal income-eligibility signal Title I designations are computed from (ESEA Sec. 1113).
0% (no FRPL) 35% TA · 40% Schoolwide 100% (universal FRPL)

<25% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. Well below the Title I threshold; expect a higher-income student body on average.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, free/reduced-price lunch eligibility. The actual Title I designation is a district decision and may differ from eligibility — but the federal eligibility math is what we show here. We don't claim to assert whether the district formally chose to enroll this school in Title I.

Your state's public flagship

University of Iowa

85%
admit rate
$11,283
in-state tuition/yr · $33,371 out-of-state
1130–1320
SAT 25–75 · ACT 22–28

The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $22,531/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.

See the full University of Iowa profile → Estimate your odds with your scores →

Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.

Enrollment trend & projection

Grade 12 went from 443 in 2021 to 514 in 2024 — over 3 years.
+16.0%

Total enrollment + grade 12, NCES Common Core of Data (2021–2024).

If the recent trend holds…

At its recent rate of +6.0%/year, projecting from 2024's 1,574 students:

2025
1,668
2027
1,874
2029
2,106

An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.

Revenue upside

At $16,244 per student in district revenue, the 532 students projected to be gained by 2029 represent ≈ $8,641,808/year in additional funding.

District total revenue ÷ enrollment, NCES F-33. Public funding largely follows enrollment, so a shrinking class is a recurring budget hit.

Most similar nearby high schools

The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.

SchoolTypeMilesHS enrollmentTrend
Waukee High School
Waukee
Public 2.0 1,375 +19.2%
Johnston Senior High School
Johnston
Public 7.6 1,820 +1.6%
Urbandale High School
Urbandale
Public 8.9 1,301 -1.3%
Dallas Center-Grimes High School
Grimes
Public 5.6 1,073 +13.3%
Valley High School
West Des Moines
Public 7.4 2,178 +6.3%
North High School
Des Moines
Public 13.7 1,428 -0.3%
Roosevelt High School
Des Moines
Public 11.0 2,051 -0.6%
Ankeny Centennial High School
Ankeny
Public 16.1 1,470 +3.6%

For Parents

Researching colleges for your kid at Northwest High School?

Check any college's odds in 10 seconds — no email needed — then get the free Family Decision Report: Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely with real admit odds and your real net price, for every college on their list.

Check your child's odds →
What are your child's odds? →

What families ask next