Essex Comm School District

Essex, Iowa — 2 schools

206
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$19,010
Per-Pupil Spending
Other
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Essex Comm School District operates 2 public schools serving 206 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 other schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 188 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Page County County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,010 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 53.0% local, 36.0% state, and 11.0% 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 $112,803 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 72/100, ranked #43 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.

a 134.7:1 student-counselor ratio that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 28.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 89.3% White, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.

Essex Elementary School accounts for 53.7% of all Essex Comm School District student enrollment

That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Essex Comm School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: other. 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

Essex Comm School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 50.1% 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.

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

Essex Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 135:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

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

Essex Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 28.0% — 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 Essex Comm School District is typically wider than the Essex 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?

11.0%
Federal
36.0%
State
53.0%
Local

Funding Equity

72
Equity Score
43 / 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 Page County county, where this district is located.

$682
Studio/mo
$700
1 BR/mo
$919
2 BR/mo
$1,147
3 BR/mo
$1,225
4 BR/mo

Average Teacher Salary

$112,803
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 2 schools in Essex Comm School District.

White 89.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Multiracial 3.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

134.7:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
28.0%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Essex Comm School District

School Enrollment
Essex Elementary School
101
Essex Junior-Senior High School
87

Nearby Districts in Iowa

Top districts in the same state — compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Compare Essex 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 Essex Comm School District?

Essex Comm School District has 2 schools, including 2 other. Total enrollment is 206 students.

How much does Essex Comm School District spend per student?

Essex Comm School District spends $19,010 per student. The district has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #43 in Iowa.

What is the average teacher salary in Essex Comm School District?

The average teacher salary in Essex Comm School District is $112,803 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

What is the average rent near Essex Comm School District?

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

What is the demographic composition of Essex Comm School District?

Essex Comm School District students are 89.3% White, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Essex Comm School District?

Essex Comm School District has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #43 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.