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Alta, Iowa - 4 schools
An equity score of 55/100 ranks Alta-Aurelia Comm School District #138 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,205 per pupil, Alta-Aurelia Comm School District ranks #188 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
837
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$12,205
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District operates 4 public schools serving 837 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Buena Vista County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,205 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending. See how Iowa compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 42.6% local, 45.5% state, and 11.9% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 55/100, ranked #138 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 253.6:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 14.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 77.0% White, 15.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Alta Elementary School, with a diversity index of 53.1/100.
Its largest campus is Alta Elementary School, enrolling 256 students (31% of the district's total enrollment).
Alta Elementary School accounts for 30.6% of all Alta-Aurelia Comm School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Alta-Aurelia Comm School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District school enrollment varies 2.1× across entities
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 124 students (lowest) to 256 students (highest), a spread of 132 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 254:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Alta-Aurelia Comm School District is typically wider than the Alta-Aurelia Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 14.4% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Comparisons are relative to Alta-Aurelia Comm School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Iowa
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Alta-Aurelia Comm School District?
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District has 4 schools, including 2 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high. Total enrollment is 837 students.
How much does Alta-Aurelia Comm School District spend per student?
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District spends $12,205 per student. The district has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #138 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Alta-Aurelia Comm School District?
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District students are 77.0% White, 15.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian, 1.0% African American, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Alta-Aurelia Comm School District?
Alta-Aurelia Comm School District has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #138 out of 303 districts in Iowa.