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Van Horne, Iowa - 5 schools
An equity score of 24/100 ranks Benton Comm School District #272 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,929 per pupil, Benton Comm School District ranks #302 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,702
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$10,929
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Benton Comm School District operates 5 public schools serving 1,702 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 1 elementary, 1 middle 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 Benton County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,929 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 33 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending. See how Iowa compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 40.9% local, 48.5% state, and 10.7% 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 24/100, ranked #272 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 358:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 18.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 90.0% White, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Keystone Elementary School, with a diversity index of 25.7/100.
Benton Community Senior High School accounts for 27.8% of all Benton Comm School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Benton Comm School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.
Benton Comm School District school enrollment varies 2.7× across entities
Benton Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 176 students (lowest) to 473 students (highest), a spread of 297 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.
Benton Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 358:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Benton Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 18.9% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Benton Comm School District is typically wider than the Benton Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Benton Comm School District?
Benton Comm School District has 5 schools, including 1 high, 2 combined, 1 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,702 students.
How much does Benton Comm School District spend per student?
Benton Comm School District spends $10,929 per student. The district has an equity score of 24/100, ranking #272 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Benton Comm School District?
Benton Comm School District students are 90.0% White, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Benton Comm School District?
Benton Comm School District has an equity score of 24/100, ranking #272 out of 303 districts in Iowa.