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.
Waterloo, Iowa - 18 schools
An equity score of 87/100 ranks Waterloo Comm School District #6 of 303 districts in Iowa (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,803 per pupil, Waterloo Comm School District ranks #62 of 327 Iowa districts by per-pupil spending (Iowa districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
10,645
Total Enrollment
18
Schools
$13,803
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Waterloo Comm School District operates 18 public schools serving 10,645 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Iowa. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 combined, 4 middle, 3 elementary, 2 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 Black Hawk County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,803 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 23.0% local, 56.9% state, and 20.1% 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 87/100, ranked #6 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 2 of 18 schools offering Advanced Placement (12 AP courses district-wide), a 360.9:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 35.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 36.8% White, 29.6% African American, 14.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lowell Elementary School, with a diversity index of 77.8/100.
Its largest campus is West High School, enrolling 1,696 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Kingsley Elementary School, at 337 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
West High School accounts for 15.9% of all Waterloo Comm School District student enrollment
That concentration means Waterloo 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.
Waterloo Comm School District school enrollment varies 5.0× across entities
Waterloo Comm School District school enrollment ranges from 337 students (lowest) to 1,696 students (highest), a spread of 1,359 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.
Waterloo Comm School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 62.3% 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.
Waterloo Comm School District student-counselor ratio is 361:1 — 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.
Waterloo Comm School District chronic absenteeism rate is 35.2% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Waterloo 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 Waterloo Comm School District?
Waterloo Comm School District has 18 schools, including 2 high, 4 middle, 9 combined, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 10,645 students.
How much does Waterloo Comm School District spend per student?
Waterloo Comm School District spends $13,803 per student. The district has an equity score of 87/100, ranking #6 in Iowa.
What is the demographic composition of Waterloo Comm School District?
Waterloo Comm School District students are 36.8% White, 29.6% African American, 14.6% Hispanic or Latino, 2.8% Asian, averaged across 18 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Waterloo Comm School District?
Waterloo Comm School District has an equity score of 87/100, ranking #6 out of 303 districts in Iowa.