About Us

The 13th largest in Iowa, the Southeast Polk Community School District is comprised of Runnells, Altoona, Mitchellville, parts of Pleasant Hill, Bondurant, Des Moines, and surrounding rural areas.  The district was formed by a consolidation of several districts in 1962 and now operates eleven attendance centers: a high school, middle school, sixth grade center, and eight elementary schools.  The district is surrounded by a variety of recreational opportunities including the popular theme park, Adventureland, and the state’s only horse racing facility, Prairie Meadows.  A myriad athletic and cultural opportunities are close by in the state capitol of Des Moines, and 11 colleges and universities are located within 35 miles of the district.

Built in 2008, Southeast Polk High School’s extensive and beautiful campus is the result of a nearly $60 million building project.  Its state-of-the-art facilities, which serve a population of more than 2000 students, include a departmentalized layout with faculty work and office space, large athletic facilities, and a beautiful performing arts center.  The school has been recognized for its excellence and achievement in academic, artistic, and athletic programming.

The Department of Music at Southeast Polk High School offers students fourteen performing ensembles conducted by four full-time faculty members.  SEP’s ensembles are routinely honored with Division I, Superior ratings and their students are consistently placed in the Iowa All-State Band, Choir, and Orchestra.

The Choirs of SEP present three concerts per year in addition to Musical Sweets and Vocal Music Banquet.  Vocal students are annually accepted into the All-State Chorus and ISU Honor Choir, among other choral festivals.  The department travels regularly, and has made recent trips to Chicago, Orlando, and Washington, D.C., and New York City.  RAMification and Vocal Gold are both active ensembles on the competitive show choir circuit and travel extensively throughout the state and region.  

Graduates of Southeast Polk have gone on to study music at the post-secondary level and are using their talents as teachers, arrangers, and performers throughout the United States.