East High School

East High is the best school here in Iowa. Well to me of course. I am not in any extra curricular activities but they do have a lot. The school spirit is amazing and you could feel how proud we are to be a Scarlet! We are actually the biggest 9-12 school here in Iowa. I transferred to East as a Sophomore and I was a little scared because I heard so much bad things about East but it turned out to be big rumors! Every school has rumors and its just the stereotypes that scare people away. The faculty is very friendly and I have never had any problems with any teacher. I am very proud to be a Scarlet!
—Submitted by a student

Personally I do not like East much however compared to Central I find my East peers to be more relatable, sort of. Anyways other than a few good teachers I find the school to be a downer. At East they mostly care for athletics while other after school activities (besides debate) are rarely announced on the intercom. The school isn't bad but it isn't exactly the place where you want to send your children, as for education it's not that great but not horrid either. Faculty however, I feel like half of them are doing an extremely awful job and are unnecessarily rude just because they've authority over the students. Overall I rate this school as 2/5. Maybe it's just the fact I'm a cynical introvert who couldn't care for the next football game or befriend the average East student who overuses the word swag and old internet memes from five years ago. Though this review makes me sound like an arrogant pseudo intellectual who you may dislike, this is how I truly feel about the school after spending 3 years here. I'm not that impressed with the school when it comes to teachers, education, and students however it isn't the worst place. It's just not a place that I want to go back to.
—Submitted by a student

East is a great school for any high schooler. They have tons of extra curricular classes and all the basics too. I love most of my teachers and I usually have a great day. Another plus, is the school spirit. If everyone in that school filled up the main gym and yelled at the top of their lungs, no other gymnasium in Iowa could come close. The building is very big, but organized. Four floors of clasrooms and the west wing is the activity wing. It has 2 gyms, a weightlifting room, and a pool room. The cafeteria is large and spacey. Overall this is one of the best schools (I would say) in Iowa.
—Submitted by a student

Great school great tradition. Mixed culture and many teachers who care. Also great sports programs. I'm proud to have been scarlet! #21!

I am a parent of 2 high school students of East High. Upon moving to Des Moines I was encouraged to not allow my children to attend this High School. Upon walking into the school, I was impressed. I expected graffiti, gangs, unruley kids, etc. Unfortunately, I expected the worst. No only did my 'old' community warn me, but also the Des Moines community talked horrible of this school. East is an awesome school. I am thankful that my children had the opportunity to attend. The teachers are available, their performance is above average, and they have the students best interest in their teaching. They care! On the negative, the counselors seem to have their own agenda in mind ...but with stern persuasion, they can come around. I would recommend East to anyone who cares about their child's education! It is a great school.
—Submitted by a parent

I think East should have more security guards to patrol the school. The population is one of the highest in the city and there are not enough guards to ensure students are safe.
—Submitted by a parent

GO EAST!!!!! I am currently a Junior and I think that East is a great school. There could be more involvement/interest in the music department though. I am a member of all band things offered, and it seems that many students don't care to watch our performances as much as the sports. It is still a great school and deserves a much better reputation than people have associated with it.
—Submitted by a student

I am currently a junior at East, and I love this school! It's sad how so many people from other schools look down on us 'eastsiders.' I've recieved questions from people at other schools asking ridiculous questions like, 'Has anyone every been shot or stabbed?' Come on people, grow up! Actually, I bet our school has less violence than most others...well, from a student stand-point there's not much vioence at all, and the teachers seem to regulate it quite well. I do think some teachers are very-centered around sports, and yes...they do need to focus some more attention on the music/art dept...and this is coming from a basketball player. All in all, I absolutely LOVE East high, and these pathetic accusations of us being such a horrible school need to be shhh'd... Go East!
—Submitted by a student

I am a former student of East High School. Even though I did not finish there due to personal stuff I loved the school just the same. I have many memories and had great teachers. I was in band, chours, color guard,and swimteam. That and a teachers aid when ever I could be. East may have its problems but you will never find anything like it. Us Eastsiders are proud and we care about each other. You will always find an eastsider willing to stop and lend a hand. And hey no matter what other people think. I had to learn something because now I am in college with a 4.0 gpa. So hey they had to do something right!
—Submitted by a former student

I love this school regardless on what other people think. We have great teachers, great students, and overall great pride. Nobody is ever embarrassed to represent the eastside and i'm also proud of it. Our sports is now getting to be one of the most dominating schools with athletics (thanks to our track team and football squad). Just wait until 4 years from now, we will win some type of state championship hands down.
—Submitted by a student

This school is a great school to send your children. It is a diverse school with many people. The construction right now may throw people off, but it is and always will be the best. The east side has a lot of pride and it really shows at the school. East itself may not be centered around sports but a lot of the faculty is. Sports has the largest budget that hardly ever gets cut. The arts deparments have very talented people involved. Although most people do not know about these activities those who do are generally floored by the talent shown.
—Submitted by a student

This is an excellent school with the largest alumni in the world. And it is not centered around just sports, it has an excellent band, marching band, and orchestra. And the jazz band is better than any jazz band in central iowa. The reason no one hears about these aspects of the school is because society is centered around sports. So of course sports are going to get more attention. Academics are very important at East also. The academic decatholon team does very well every year. And the parents are very involved with the school, but not as capable budget wise as other schools may be. But they are there with the teachers encouraging and enticing every student to do well, have fun, and above all to succeed and not just at school but in every aspect of life.
—Submitted by Megan Edwards, a former student

This school centers itself around the main sports(football,basketball,etc.). If the students are in the arts departments(orchestra,band,choir,drama,etc)you will not find the support that the others would get. There are a lot of talented kids in this school and this includes sports and the fine arts that the parents need to express this with the principal, but parent involvement is also very low.
—Submitted by a parent