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.
Vinton, Iowa - 4 schools
An equity score of 61/100 ranks Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District #104 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,725 per pupil, Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District ranks #139 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,555
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$12,725
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District operates 4 public schools serving 1,555 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 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 Benton County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,725 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 40.1% local, 49.7% state, and 10.2% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 61/100, ranked #104 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.
a 445.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 25.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 91.7% White, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School, with a diversity index of 17.0/100.
Its largest campus is Tilford Elementary School, enrolling 544 students (35% of the district's total enrollment).
Tilford Elementary School accounts for 34.9% of all Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Vinton-Shellsburg 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.
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District school enrollment varies 2.0× across entities
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 269 students (lowest) to 544 students (highest), a spread of 275 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.
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 446:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 25.5% — 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 Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District is typically wider than the Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Vinton-Shellsburg 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 Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District?
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District has 4 schools, including 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,555 students.
How much does Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District spend per student?
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District spends $12,725 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #104 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District?
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District students are 91.7% White, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District?
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #104 out of 303 districts in Iowa.