Enrollment
403
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Adel, IA
Adel Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Adel Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190315000008
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Adel Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Adel · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 12.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Adel Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Adel Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Adel, IA.
School address
District: Adel Desoto Minburn Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190315000008 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Adel Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Adel Elementary School
Adel Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Adel, Iowa, enrolling 403 students.
At 13.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.5% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the Iowa average.
Enrollment of 403 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 220 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #161, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 403 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Adel Desoto Minburn Comm School District also operates Adm Senior High School (666 students) and Meadow View Elementary (520 students) alongside Adel Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Adel Elementary School compares
Adel Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.9:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.5% | ▼ 66% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 403 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
403
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 48% in Iowa - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$10,790
per pupil, district-wide
- below Iowa avg of $12,854
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 403 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 90.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 90.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.1, Adel Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Adel Desoto Minburn Comm School District, which includes Adel Elementary School.
$10,790
Per student
-16%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.6%
State 52.1%
Federal 8.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Adel Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adm Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Meadow View Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Adm Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Desoto Intermediate School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Adel Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 666
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 520
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 337
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~403 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Adel Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Adel Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Adel Desoto Minburn Comm School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Adel Elementary School
How many students attend Adel Elementary School?
Adel Elementary School has 403 students enrolled. It is a public school in Adel, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Adel Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Adel Elementary School is 13.9:1, which is 6% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Adel Elementary School?
12.5% of students at Adel Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Adel Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Adel Elementary School is White at 90.3% of enrollment, in Adel, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Adel Elementary School?
Adel Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Adel Elementary School rank among public schools in Adel?
By Resource Investment Index, Adel Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Adel, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Adel on the city page.
Is Adel Elementary School a good school?
Adel Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Adel Desoto Minburn Comm School District?
Besides Adel Elementary School, Adel Desoto Minburn Comm School District also operates Adm Senior High School (666 students), Meadow View Elementary (520 students), and Adm Middle School (352 students). See the Adel Desoto Minburn Comm School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.