Burlington Comm School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Burlington, Iowa - 8 schools

An equity score of 89/100 ranks Burlington Comm School District #4 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,983 per pupil, Burlington Comm School District ranks #55 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,334
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$13,983
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Burlington Comm School District operates 8 public schools serving 3,334 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Des Moines County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,983 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending. See how Iowa compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 26.3% local, 57.5% state, and 16.2% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 89/100, ranked #4 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 481.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 51.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 59.4% White, 18.1% African American, 8.0% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is North Hill Elementary School, with a diversity index of 66.6/100.

Its largest campus is Burlington Community High School, enrolling 1,016 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Corse Early Childhood Center, at 177 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Burlington Community High School accounts for 30.5% of all Burlington Comm School District student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Burlington 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Burlington Comm School District school enrollment varies 5.7× across entities

Burlington Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 177 students (lowest) to 1,016 students (highest), a spread of 839 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Burlington Comm School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 59.5% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Burlington Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 481:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Burlington Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 51.5% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

16.2%
Federal
57.5%
State
26.3%
Local

Funding Equity

89
Equity Score
4 / 303
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 8 schools in Burlington Comm School District.

White 59.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
African American 18.1%
Multiracial 13.8%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 58.5/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Burlington Comm School District's schools, above the Iowa average of 33.8.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 North Hill Elementary School 66.6
  2. 2 James Wilson Grimes School 61.0
  3. 3 Corse Early Childhood Center 59.5
  4. 4 Black Hawk Elementary School 58.3
  5. 5 Aldo Leopold Intermediate School 57.2

Programs & Resources

1 / 8
Schools with AP
5 AP courses total
481.2:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
51.5%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Burlington Comm School District

School Enrollment
Burlington Community High School
1,016
Edward Stone Middle School
452
Aldo Leopold Intermediate School
412
Black Hawk Elementary School
305
Sunnyside Elementary School
298
North Hill Elementary School
268
James Wilson Grimes School
212
Corse Early Childhood Center
177

How Burlington Comm School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Iowa districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Clinton Comm School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
North Scott Comm School District Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Norwalk Comm School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Mason City Comm School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Clear Creek Amana Comm School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Burlington 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.

Compare Burlington Comm School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Des Moines Independent Comm School District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Burlington Comm School District?

Burlington Comm School District has 8 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 5 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 3,334 students.

How much does Burlington Comm School District spend per student?

Burlington Comm School District spends $13,983 per student. The district has an equity score of 89/100, ranking #4 in Iowa.

What is the demographic composition of Burlington Comm School District?

Burlington Comm School District students are 59.4% White, 18.1% African American, 8.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Burlington Comm School District?

Burlington Comm School District has an equity score of 89/100, ranking #4 out of 303 districts in Iowa.