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Colo, Iowa - 2 schools
An equity score of 65/100 ranks Colo-Nesco Comm School District #85 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,213 per pupil, Colo-Nesco Comm School District ranks #93 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
387
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$13,213
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Colo-Nesco Comm School District operates 2 public schools serving 387 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined 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 Story County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,213 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 52.6% local, 38.5% state, and 9.0% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 65/100, ranked #85 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.
a 385:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 22.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.5% White, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% African American across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Colo-Nesco Middle/High School, enrolling 216 students (56% of the district's total enrollment).
Colo-Nesco Middle/High School accounts for 55.8% of all Colo-Nesco Comm School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Colo-Nesco Comm School District a distant remainder — means Colo-Nesco 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.
Colo-Nesco Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 385:1 — 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.
Colo-Nesco Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 22.6% — 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 Colo-Nesco Comm School District is typically wider than the Colo-Nesco Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Colo-Nesco 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 Colo-Nesco Comm School District?
Colo-Nesco Comm School District has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 387 students.
How much does Colo-Nesco Comm School District spend per student?
Colo-Nesco Comm School District spends $13,213 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #85 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Colo-Nesco Comm School District?
Colo-Nesco Comm School District students are 87.5% White, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Colo-Nesco Comm School District?
Colo-Nesco Comm School District has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #85 out of 303 districts in Iowa.