Pocahontas Area Comm School District

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.

Pocahontas, Iowa - 3 schools

An equity score of 65/100 ranks Pocahontas Area Comm School District #83 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,615 per pupil, Pocahontas Area Comm School District ranks #69 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

739
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$13,615
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Pocahontas Area Comm School District operates 3 public schools serving 739 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high 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 Pocahontas County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,615 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 67.7% local, 25.5% state, and 6.8% 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 65/100, ranked #83 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 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (1 AP courses district-wide), a 330.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 35.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 84.7% White, 8.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School, with a diversity index of 33.5/100.

Its largest campus is Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School, enrolling 367 students (56% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Pocahontas Area Regional Learning Center, at 27 students, a 14x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School accounts for 49.7% of all Pocahontas Area Comm School District student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Pocahontas Area Comm School District a distant remainder — means Pocahontas Area 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Pocahontas Area Comm School District school enrollment varies 14× across entities

Pocahontas Area Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 27 students (lowest) to 367 students (highest), a spread of 340 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

Pocahontas Area Comm School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 55.3% 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

Pocahontas Area Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 331:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts

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 Variation between sub-units within Pocahontas Area Comm School District is typically wider than the Pocahontas Area Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.

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

Pocahontas Area Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 35.0% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)

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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

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

Where does the funding come from?

6.8%
Federal
25.5%
State
67.7%
Local

Funding Equity

65
Equity Score
83 / 303
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 3 schools in Pocahontas Area Comm School District.

White 84.7%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Multiracial 4.5%
Other 2.2%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 27.1/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Pocahontas Area Comm School District's schools, below the Iowa average of 33.8.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School 33.5
  2. 2 Pocahontas Area Elementary School 27.3
  3. 3 Pocahontas Area Regional Learning Center 20.6

Programs & Resources

1 / 3
Schools with AP
1 AP courses total
330.7:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
35.0%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Pocahontas Area Comm School District

School Enrollment
Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School
367
Pocahontas Area Elementary School
265
Pocahontas Area Regional Learning Center
27

How Pocahontas Area Comm School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Iowa districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Sibley-Ocheyedan Comm School District Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Logan-Magnolia Comm School District Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Colfax-Mingo Comm School District Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Tri-Center Comm School District Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Missouri Valley Comm School District Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Pocahontas Area 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

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Compare Pocahontas Area Comm School District

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Pocahontas Area Comm School District?

Pocahontas Area Comm School District has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high. Total enrollment is 739 students.

How much does Pocahontas Area Comm School District spend per student?

Pocahontas Area Comm School District spends $13,615 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #83 in Iowa.

What is the demographic composition of Pocahontas Area Comm School District?

Pocahontas Area Comm School District students are 84.7% White, 8.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% African American, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Pocahontas Area Comm School District?

Pocahontas Area Comm School District has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #83 out of 303 districts in Iowa.