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Altoona, Iowa - 11 schools
An equity score of 42/100 ranks Southeast Polk Comm School District #186 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,914 per pupil, Southeast Polk Comm School District ranks #217 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
7,397
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$11,914
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Southeast Polk Comm School District operates 11 public schools serving 7,397 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 combined, 2 middle, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Polk County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,914 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 37.9% local, 52.1% state, and 10.0% 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 42/100, ranked #186 of 303 in Iowa against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (15 AP courses district-wide), a 523.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 70.4% White, 10.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Clay Elementary, with a diversity index of 58.7/100.
Its largest campus is Southeast Polk High School, enrolling 1,722 students (23% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Mitchellville Elementary, at 255 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Southeast Polk High School accounts for 23.1% of all Southeast Polk Comm School District student enrollment
That concentration means Southeast Polk 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.
Southeast Polk Comm School District school enrollment varies 6.8× across entities
Southeast Polk Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 255 students (lowest) to 1,722 students (highest), a spread of 1,467 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.
Southeast Polk Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 524:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Southeast Polk Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 23.0% — 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 Southeast Polk Comm School District is typically wider than the Southeast Polk Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Southeast Polk 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 Southeast Polk Comm School District?
Southeast Polk Comm School District has 11 schools, including 1 high, 2 middle, 8 combined. Total enrollment is 7,397 students.
How much does Southeast Polk Comm School District spend per student?
Southeast Polk Comm School District spends $11,914 per student. The district has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #186 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Southeast Polk Comm School District?
Southeast Polk Comm School District students are 70.4% White, 10.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% African American, 2.7% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Southeast Polk Comm School District?
Southeast Polk Comm School District has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #186 out of 303 districts in Iowa.