Original Research by School Decision on Ankeny Centennial High School
Ankeny Centennial High School serves grades ten through twelve in the Ankeny Community School District, a fast-growing suburban system just north of Des Moines. The school is one of two comprehensive high schools in the district, and it sits in a community that has been adding population at a steady clip for years, with new elementary schools opening and boundaries shifting to keep pace. The district’s public reports emphasize sustained growth, averaging a notable number of new students annually for more than a decade, and capital spending on facilities has been substantial.
The student body is large for a school that serves only the final three years of high school, and its composition is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group and Black and Asian students each present in smaller shares. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is an indicator that the school serves a community with relatively high household income overall. The city of Ankeny itself is a family-oriented suburb with a median home value above the national figure and a housing market that has seen prices rise over the past year, while rents have held roughly steady. The area is auto-oriented, with most residents commuting by car, and the city’s growth has been rapid enough that its land area has expanded over time.
Academically, the school’s state assessment results from the most recent school year show strong proficiency rates in English language arts, math, and science, each landing at a level that places this school in a favorable light compared to many others. These are single-year figures, not a trend, since only one year of data was available, but the contemporary picture is one of solid performance across tested subjects. Because the school serves only upper grades, there is no graduation rate data in the available record, but the school type is a regular public high school, so that metric would normally apply; its absence here is simply a gap in what was reported.
No program offerings were included in the data, so it is not possible to describe the breadth of Advanced Placement, career and technical education, or dual-credit pathways. A parent interested in those areas would need to consult the school’s website or speak with the counseling office directly. Similarly, information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, and course access was not available, nor were data on special education or English learner populations. These are meaningful gaps for any family weighing how well the school supports students with different needs.
The community context matters here. Ankeny is one of Iowa’s fastest-growing cities, and that growth has shaped the school district’s priorities. The district has opened a new elementary school in the north feeder system, and boundary adjustments are a recurring reality for families living in different parts of the city. For a family considering a move to this area, the housing market is active and prices are above the national median, which reflects demand but also means affordability is a consideration. The typical commute is by car, and the city’s layout is suburban with commercial corridors and dispersed civic facilities rather than a walkable downtown core.
Ankeny Centennial High School presents as a high-performing academic environment within a growing, economically stable suburb. The student body is large and relatively homogeneous, the community is oriented toward families, and the district is investing in infrastructure to keep up with enrollment. The missing data on programs, discipline, and student support services means that some important questions cannot be answered from this record alone, but on the academic measures that are available, the school performs at a level that many families would consider strong.
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