Council Bluffs Comm School District

Council Bluffs, Iowa — 15 schools

8,784
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$16,761
Per-Pupil Spending
Other, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Council Bluffs Comm School District operates 15 public schools serving 8,784 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 10 other, 2 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 8,253 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Pottawattamie County County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,761 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 30.2% local, 53.5% state, and 16.3% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $88,244 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 70/100, ranked #50 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.

Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 15 schools offering Advanced Placement (9 AP courses district-wide), a 370.1:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 27.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 72.3% White, 17.3% Hispanic or Latino, 4.5% African American across the district's schools.

Abraham Lincoln High School accounts for 16.2% of all Council Bluffs Comm School District student enrollment

That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Council Bluffs 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

Council Bluffs Comm School District school enrollment varies 18× across entities

Council Bluffs Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 73 students (lowest) to 1,333 students (highest), a spread of 1,260 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. 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

Council Bluffs Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 370:1 — 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

Council Bluffs Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 27.5% — 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 Council Bluffs Comm School District is typically wider than the Council Bluffs Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.

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

Where does the funding come from?

16.3%
Federal
53.5%
State
30.2%
Local

Funding Equity

70
Equity Score
50 / 303
State Rank
50
State Average

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

Local Rent Costs

Fair Market Rents in Pottawattamie County county, where this district is located.

$1,090
Studio/mo
$1,148
1 BR/mo
$1,368
2 BR/mo
$1,813
3 BR/mo
$2,046
4 BR/mo

Average Teacher Salary

$88,244
Average annual teacher salary

Source: NCES CCD F-33 (Finance Survey).

Teacher salary data from NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 15 schools in Council Bluffs Comm School District.

White 72.3%
Hispanic or Latino 17.3%
African American 4.5%
Asian 0.7%
Multiracial 4.5%
Other 0.8%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

2 / 15
Schools with AP
9 AP courses total
370.1:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
27.5%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Council Bluffs Comm School District

School Enrollment
Abraham Lincoln High School
1,333
Thomas Jefferson High School
1,146
Gerald W Kirn Middle School
913
Woodrow Wilson Middle School
855
College View Elementary
488
Roosevelt Elementary School
455
Longfellow Elementary School
431
Franklin Elementary School
421
Hoover Elementary School
401
Bloomer Elementary School
396
Rue Elementary School
385
Edison Elementary School
384
Carter Lake Elementary School
301
Lewis & Clark Elementary School
271
Crescent Elementary School
73

Nearby Districts in Iowa

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Compare Council Bluffs Comm School District

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Council Bluffs Comm School District?

Council Bluffs Comm School District has 15 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 10 other, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 8,784 students.

How much does Council Bluffs Comm School District spend per student?

Council Bluffs Comm School District spends $16,761 per student. The district has an equity score of 70/100, ranking #50 in Iowa.

What is the average teacher salary in Council Bluffs Comm School District?

The average teacher salary in Council Bluffs Comm School District is $88,244 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

What is the average rent near Council Bluffs Comm School District?

The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Pottawattamie County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.

What is the demographic composition of Council Bluffs Comm School District?

Council Bluffs Comm School District students are 72.3% White, 17.3% Hispanic or Latino, 4.5% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Council Bluffs Comm School District?

Council Bluffs Comm School District has an equity score of 70/100, ranking #50 out of 303 districts in Iowa. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.

Federal data Last updated 2026 Free public data

Coverage

50 states + DC

Full national footprint

Update cadence

Quarterly

Refreshed within 30 days of upstream release

Source agency

Federal

Authoritative data, no third-party aggregation

Page reliability score 94.0%
Industry baseline

Composite score weighing source authority, update freshness, and methodological transparency. 1.0 = full federal-source coverage with documented methodology and recent update.