Valley Southwoods Freshman High School

Valley Southwoods Freshman High School Valley Southwoods Freshman High School serves West Des Moines Community Schools' ninth grade students. They create lessons that are relevant and challenging.

Valley Southwoods Freshman High School opened in the fall of 1997 to serve students in their first year of high school. Students begin the year with a "fresh start" and learn habits to help them succeed in their first year of high school and beyond. Students get to know each other and their teachers well, they have varied opportunities to practice leadership, and they are encouraged to participate

in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. Teachers provide high-quality instruction with the unique needs of ninth graders in mind. They provide support to help all students learn. Freshman students enroll in four core area full-credit courses, physical education, and at least one elective course each semester. They are assigned to an interdisciplinary team area in which three or four of their core courses will be located:
• General Science
• Geographic Cultural Studies
• Language and Literature
• Mathematics (Basic Math 9, Algebra A, Algebra B, or Geometry)

Eligible students may take advanced courses in one or more core areas to meet the course requirements in our "Accelerated Pathways" program.

📰Check out the June edition of the We Are ALL WDMCS Newsletter, including ways families can stay engaged in learning ove...
06/06/2026

📰Check out the June edition of the We Are ALL WDMCS Newsletter, including ways families can stay engaged in learning over the summer 👇

We are All WDMCS: June 2026

The Tigers put on a record-setting performance at the 2026 Iowa State Track & Field Championships! Morgan Karr showed wh...
05/24/2026

The Tigers put on a record-setting performance at the 2026 Iowa State Track & Field Championships!

Morgan Karr showed why she’s the best hurdler in the state, cruising to the girls 100-meter hurdles championship in 13.53 seconds, the fastest time in state history. She also took third in the girls 100 meters and helped the girls shuttle hurdle relay team to a runner-up finish with the second-fastest time in state history (58.92).

In a remarkable turn of events, the boys 4x100-meter relay team of Greg Sayee, Trent Grevengoed, Miciah LeLaCheur, and Joseph Alexander won the championship in an all-time state record time of 40.84 seconds. The Tigers posted the sixth-fastest qualifying time and featured an alternate in the finals. A sophomore, Sayee filled in for junior Blake Dorenkamp who sustained an injury in the preliminary round.

Joseph Alexander finished second in the boys 200 meters and fourth in the boys high jump. Donault Moore took third in the high jump.

Congratulations to all of our student-athletes!

📸 Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune

It was a great night at the 3rd annual AFJROTC Military Ball. Congratulations to the 25-26 command staff for an outstand...
05/10/2026

It was a great night at the 3rd annual AFJROTC Military Ball. Congratulations to the 25-26 command staff for an outstanding year. Congratulations to all of the cadets that served our community by presenting our country’s colors! Last, thank you Christie Wicks for your tireless support of this program. Well done cadets!

🎉 There's still time to support Staff Recognition! Donate to the WDMCS Foundation at https://givebutter.com/WDMCS2026.
05/04/2026

🎉 There's still time to support Staff Recognition!

Donate to the WDMCS Foundation at https://givebutter.com/WDMCS2026.

🎊It's time to celebrate our teachers and staff! Please help our community committee show them appreciation by donating to the Staff Recognition Celebration by May 6.

See Southwoods’ honorees below. When you make a donation, you can give your favorite teachers and staff a shout-out! Donate at https://givebutter.com/WDMCS2026.

Milestones
⭐Stephanie Nelson (25 years)
⭐Rob Wedebrand (15 years)

Congratulation to our Valley Southwoods Tigers of the Month for March/April 2026. These students exemplified our Traditi...
05/04/2026

Congratulation to our Valley Southwoods Tigers of the Month for March/April 2026. These students exemplified our Tradition of the Tiger traits of being a Continuous Learner, Collaborator, Communicator, Critcal Thinker and Professional. These students and their families will be invited to our Tiger of the Month Breakfast at the end of the school year as well. Way to go Tigers!!!

📅 Get the main calendar dates for 2026-27, now on our website! See next year's first day of school, no school days, and ...
04/24/2026

📅 Get the main calendar dates for 2026-27, now on our website! See next year's first day of school, no school days, and breaks at https://discover.wdmcs.org/calendar-at-a-glance.

Two dates — the last day for Tiger Cubs Preschool and last day for seniors — will go back to the Board for approval at a later date.

🎊It's time to celebrate our teachers and staff! Please help our community committee show them appreciation by donating t...
04/19/2026

🎊It's time to celebrate our teachers and staff! Please help our community committee show them appreciation by donating to the Staff Recognition Celebration by May 6.

See Southwoods’ honorees below. When you make a donation, you can give your favorite teachers and staff a shout-out! Donate at https://givebutter.com/WDMCS2026.

Milestones
⭐Stephanie Nelson (25 years)
⭐Rob Wedebrand (15 years)

📰Check out the April edition of the We Are ALL WDMCS Newsletter, including some tips on how to maximize your student’s s...
04/09/2026

📰Check out the April edition of the We Are ALL WDMCS Newsletter, including some tips on how to maximize your student’s state testing experience 👇

We are All WDMCS: April 2026

⭐🎨🎉Join us April 9 for The 'Burbs Art Show! Valley High School will host this highly regarded, juried art exhibition fro...
04/06/2026

⭐🎨🎉Join us April 9 for The 'Burbs Art Show!

Valley High School will host this highly regarded, juried art exhibition from 5-7 p.m. this Thursday. Join us to see outstanding work by student artists in grades 9-12 from WDMCS and the surrounding districts!

Address

625 S 35th Street
West Des Moines, IA
50265

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 4pm
Tuesday 7am - 4pm
Wednesday 7am - 4pm
Thursday 7am - 4pm
Friday 7am - 4pm

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