Private Schools

Private Schools in Des Moines, Iowa

10 private schools in Des Moines, Iowa with at least 30 students answered the 2023-24 federal survey. Together they enroll 2,373 students: 4 Catholic, 5 other religious and 1 nonsectarian. 2 schools go through high school grades.

Schools listed

Go through high school

Median enrollment

211

Median students per teacher

13.2

Private schools in Des Moines, Iowa

Largest first. Students per teacher is the school’s own report.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher	Affiliation
Grand View Christian School	PK–5	458	19.2	Christian
Holy Trinity	PK–8	358	12.6	Catholic
St Anthony Elementary School	PK–8	345	13.9	Catholic
Bergman Academy	PK–8	281	10.8	Nonsectarian
St Theresa Catholic School	PK–8	221	13.3	Catholic
St Joseph Elementary School	PK–8	201	13	Catholic
Joshua Christian Academy	K–12	199	8.3	Christian
Mt Olive Lutheran School	PK–8	191	13.5	Lutheran
J. W. Reed Christian Academy	K–12	74	8.9	Other religious
Des Moines Adventist School	PK–8	45	15	Seventh-Day Adventist

Getting in, and keeping up

Private school entrance exams: format, scoring, and dates for the ISEE, SSAT, and HSPT.
ISASP practice tests and score levels, the test public schools in Iowa give.
Using a 529 plan for K-12 tuition and tutoring.
Colleges in Iowa, for families already looking ahead.

Email me the Des Moines private school list

A link to this list, plus our guide to the entrance exams these schools use.

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Frequently asked questions

How many private schools are in Des Moines, Iowa?

10 private schools in Des Moines, Iowa with at least 30 students answered the 2023-24 federal Private School Universe Survey. Schools that did not answer are not counted, so the real number is higher.

What is the largest private school in Des Moines, Iowa?

Among schools that answered the survey, Grand View Christian School in Des Moines is the largest, with 458 students in grades PK–5.

How big are classes at private schools in Des Moines, Iowa?

The survey reports students per teacher, not class size. The median private school in Des Moines, Iowa has 13.2 students per teacher and 211 students in total.

Do private schools require an entrance exam?

Many independent schools ask for the ISEE or SSAT, and many Catholic high schools use the HSPT. Each school sets its own rule, so check the admissions page of every school on your list.

Source: NCES Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2023-24 public-use data file, National Center for Education Statistics. Schools that answered the survey and enrolled at least 30 students. Amish schools are left out. Schools report their own figures, and a school that did not answer the survey does not appear.