Buying a Home in Pleasant Hill
A quiet east-metro city bordering Des Moines, with lake and trail access.
Pleasant Hill sits directly against the east side of Des Moines, which makes it one of the shorter commutes in the metro while still being a separate city with its own quieter residential character.
Copper Creek Lake Park is the local centerpiece, and the city has added newer neighborhoods around it while keeping a low-key feel overall.
Highlights
- Copper Creek Lake Park — swimming, trails, and open space
- Directly adjacent to Des Moines, keeping commutes short
- A mix of established homes and newer subdivisions
- Chichaqua Valley and Gay Lea Wilson trail connections
Pleasant Hill by the numbers
Home value, rent & market activity: Zillow Research (2026-08). Income & demographics: U.S. Census ACS (5-year).
Browse current Pleasant Hill listings on Zillow →
School choice: who is moving in, and out
Iowa lets parents enroll a child in a public district other than the one they live in (Iowa Code §282.18). The state publishes the counts, which shows something a school rating cannot: which districts families are actively choosing, and which they are leaving.
Pleasant Hill spans two school districts, and they can point in opposite directions — which is why there is no single figure for Pleasant Hill. Figures below describe the district, not the city, and the two can differ a great deal: only about half the children living in the city of Urbandale attend Urbandale schools, while Waukee's district reaches well beyond Waukee. Check any specific address before relying on this.
Source: Iowa Department of Education, Certified Enrollment by District, 2025-26 school year. The bar shows transfers in and out as shares of all transfers, not the net. Percentages are of certified enrollment — every student living in the district, whichever school they attend. A net loss is not a verdict on a school — large districts lose more simply by being large, and families transfer for childcare, a parent's commute and sibling placement as well as for academics.
Schools
Primarily the Southeast Polk Community School District, with portions in Des Moines Public Schools depending on location — verify by address.
Getting around
East metro bordering Des Moines; often 12–18 minutes to downtown via US-65 or Hubbell Ave.
Metro context
Source: Realtor.com via FRED (metro); Zillow Research (value/rent); U.S. Census ACS (demographics) · Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA · updated 2026-08.
Estimate buy vs rent for Pleasant Hill →
General guide only — verify school boundaries, taxes, and current prices for any specific address. Not real-estate or financial advice.