The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in English language arts. The lowest is 80% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Trailridge School
Trailridge School is a regular public middle school in the Waukee Community School District, serving only sixth and seventh graders. Because it serves only these two grades, the school does not have a graduation rate, and that absence is a function of its grade band, not a measure of its performance. The school’s enrollment is moderate for a two-grade middle school, and the student body is predominantly white, with Asian students making up the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and Hispanic students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that is notably low compared to many Iowa schools and reflects the affluent context of the district.
On state assessments, Trailridge delivers strong results. In both math and English language arts, a large majority of students score at or above the proficiency threshold, and the participation rate on those tests is very high, which makes the results reliable. Science proficiency, tested at only one grade level here, is also high, though a bit lower than the scores in the other two subjects. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency across subjects sits above the midpoint when compared to other districts in Dallas County. There is no multi-year trend data available because this is the only year of testing data on record for the school, so a parent cannot yet see whether these scores represent a stable pattern or an early peak.
The school has no public data on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. A parent seeking a fuller picture of daily conditions and student support should look into those areas directly with the school or the district.
Waukee itself is a fast-growing suburb of Des Moines, and the district is the fastest-growing in the state. That growth is the central fact of life for any family considering Trailridge. The district opened a second high school in recent years, which reshaped feeder patterns, and a recent bond referendum financed another elementary school and a new middle school, with enrollment expected to continue climbing. The district also recently redrew elementary boundaries, affecting a substantial number of families, with grandfathering protections for current fifth graders and siblings. Boundary adjustments have been a recurring feature of life here, and any family moving into the area should expect that their assigned schools could shift over time.
Housing values in Waukee’s zip code are well above the statewide benchmark, while rents are roughly in line with what it would cost to carry a mortgage, making homeownership and renting comparably expensive. The community is auto-oriented, with limited public transit, though it has pockets of walkable commercial development such as the Kettlestone mixed-use area and a traditional downtown around Triangle Park. Major employers include Apple’s data center campus, the school district itself, and a mix of insurance and entertainment businesses. The city’s civic infrastructure includes a public library with a coal mine museum, parks and trails, and a sculpture that honors the area’s mining history.
For a family, Trailridge offers a middle school experience in a district defined by rapid expansion, where academic results on state tests are strong and the socioeconomic profile of the student body is relatively high. The school’s limited grades mean a student will move on to a different building after seventh grade, and given the district’s growth, the specific upper school that student attends may depend on where boundaries land in the coming years. The absence of trend data and several operational metrics means that some of the questions a parent might have about the daily environment remain unanswered by the available public record.
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