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.
Denison, Iowa - 4 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks Denison Comm School District #87 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,439 per pupil, Denison Comm School District ranks #164 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,264
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$12,439
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Denison Comm School District operates 4 public schools serving 2,264 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 high, 1 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Crawford County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,439 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 21.6% local, 57.4% state, and 21.1% 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 64/100, ranked #87 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 486.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 17.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 66.0% Hispanic or Latino, 26.6% White, 3.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Denison High School, with a diversity index of 50.4/100.
Its largest campus is Denison High School, enrolling 777 students (34% of the district's total enrollment).
Denison High School accounts for 34.3% of all Denison Comm School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Denison 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.
Denison Comm School District school enrollment varies 2.7× across entities
Denison Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 288 students (lowest) to 777 students (highest), a spread of 489 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.
Denison Comm School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.1% 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.
Denison Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 487:1 — 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.
Denison Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 17.1% — 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 Denison Comm School District is typically wider than the Denison Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Denison Comm School District?
Denison Comm School District has 4 schools, including 1 high, 1 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,264 students.
How much does Denison Comm School District spend per student?
Denison Comm School District spends $12,439 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #87 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Denison Comm School District?
Denison Comm School District students are 66.0% Hispanic or Latino, 26.6% White, 3.1% African American, 3.1% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Denison Comm School District?
Denison Comm School District has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #87 out of 303 districts in Iowa.