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Newell, Iowa - 3 schools
An equity score of 44/100 ranks Newell-Fonda Comm School District #179 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,977 per pupil, Newell-Fonda Comm School District ranks #113 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
578
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$12,977
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Newell-Fonda Comm School District operates 3 public schools serving 578 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Buena Vista County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,977 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 53.0% local, 35.1% state, and 11.9% 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 44/100, ranked #179 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 209:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 24.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.1% White, 14.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Newell-Fonda Elementary, with a diversity index of 44.2/100.
Its largest campus is Newell-Fonda Elementary, enrolling 280 students (52% of the district's total enrollment).
Newell-Fonda Elementary accounts for 48.4% of all Newell-Fonda Comm School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Newell-Fonda Comm School District a distant remainder — means Newell-Fonda 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.
Newell-Fonda Comm School District school enrollment varies 2.3× across entities
Newell-Fonda Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 124 students (lowest) to 280 students (highest), a spread of 156 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.
Newell-Fonda Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 209:1 — 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.
Newell-Fonda Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 24.2% — 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 Newell-Fonda Comm School District is typically wider than the Newell-Fonda Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Newell-Fonda 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 Newell-Fonda Comm School District?
Newell-Fonda Comm School District has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 578 students.
How much does Newell-Fonda Comm School District spend per student?
Newell-Fonda Comm School District spends $12,977 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #179 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Newell-Fonda Comm School District?
Newell-Fonda Comm School District students are 76.1% White, 14.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% African American, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Newell-Fonda Comm School District?
Newell-Fonda Comm School District has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #179 out of 303 districts in Iowa.