Case Study: Des Moines Public Schools optimizes interventions and predicts dropout risk with Tableau Software

Des Moines Public School District improves intervention programs with predictive analytics

Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS), with roughly 7,000 staff, needed a faster, more accurate way to understand how teaching methods affect long‑term student performance and to identify students at risk of dropping out. Their previous Early Indicator System was an Excel-based report updated only every six weeks, relied on 22 arbitrary indicators, and produced untimely results that delayed interventions.

The Research and Data Management team used Alteryx to build a multiple linear regression “dropout coefficient” that weighed the 12 most predictive indicators and integrated it into Tableau. Interactive dashboards connected to the district’s SQL Server let teachers and administrators drill into scatterplots, standards‑referenced grades, and daily SRGs in real time—enabling earlier, targeted interventions, clearer instructional adjustments, district-wide access via Tableau Server, and improved collaboration and decision-making.

Des Moines Public Schools

Kimberly Martorano

Data Analyst