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.
Marcus, Iowa - 2 schools
An equity score of 59/100 ranks Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District #121 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,641 per pupil, Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District ranks #34 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
386
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$14,641
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District operates 2 public schools serving 386 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 high, 1 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 Cherokee County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,641 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 62.8% local, 28.8% state, and 8.4% 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 59/100, ranked #121 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 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 189.5:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 11.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 92.3% White, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Mmcru High School, enrolling 213 students (56% of the district's total enrollment).
Mmcru High School accounts for 55.2% of all Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District a distant remainder — means Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn 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.
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 190:1 — 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.
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 11.7% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Comparisons are relative to Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn 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 Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District?
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District has 2 schools, including 1 high, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 386 students.
How much does Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District spend per student?
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District spends $14,641 per student. The district has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #121 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District?
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District students are 92.3% White, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District?
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #121 out of 303 districts in Iowa.