2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 190336000030

Algona High School — Algona, IA

Federal NCES profile for Algona High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.

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0/100100/10038/100
👥 Class size
38
📚 AP courses
15
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
54
📋 Attendance
14
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →

The verdict

Algona High School earns an F Resource Investment Index (38/100), with class sizes near the Iowa median.

F
Resource Index · 38/100
15.4:1
students per teacher
25.7%
free-lunch eligible
458
students enrolled

School address

Algona, IA 50511
District: Algona Comm School District · Iowa

Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.

Enrollment

458

Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

30.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.4:1

vs 15:1 Iowa avg

+3% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

25.7%

vs 36.4% Iowa avg

-29% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Algona High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median
0:135:115.4:1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula. PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.

What this school's NCES data tells you

Algona High School reports 458 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.

Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% below the Iowa average and 50% below the national baseline. The school offers 3 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 231 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

On the finance side, the surrounding Algona Comm School District spends $12,427 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $12,854 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 48.9% from local sources (property taxes), 40.9% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Algona High School compares

Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.

Metric This school vs Iowa Iowa avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 15.4:1 ▲ 3% 15:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 25.7% ▼ 29% 36.4% 51.8%
Enrollment 458 top 76% — —

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

Class size vs. every US school

Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)

15 smaller classes than 45% of 92,598 US schools

0–2: 295 US schools (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 597 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 1,033 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 1,939 US schools (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 4,805 US schools (5%). Below this entry. 10–12: 11,082 US schools (12%). Below this entry. 12–14: 16,971 US schools (18%). Below this entry. 14–16: 18,959 US schools (20%). This entry sits in this band. 16–18: 13,660 US schools (15%). Above this entry. 18–20: 8,300 US schools (9%). Above this entry. 20–22: 5,448 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 22–24: 4,007 US schools (4%). Above this entry. 24–26: 2,663 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 26–28: 1,131 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 28–30: 504 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 30–32: 307 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 32–34: 189 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 34–36: 141 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 36–38: 93 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 38–40: 94 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 40–42: 59 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 42–44: 46 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 44–46: 56 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 46–48: 58 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 48–50: 34 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 50–52: 37 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 52–54: 30 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 54–56: 15 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 56–58: 25 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 58–60: 20 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 60 every US school, by class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

School size vs. every US school

Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')

458 larger than 56% of 95,891 US schools

0–150: 14,035 US schools (15%). Below this entry. 150–300: 16,928 US schools (18%). Below this entry. 300–450: 21,633 US schools (23%). Below this entry. 450–600: 17,006 US schools (18%). This entry sits in this band. 600–750: 10,042 US schools (10%). Above this entry. 750–900: 5,568 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 900–1,050: 3,006 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 1,050–1,200: 1,826 US schools (2%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,350: 1,220 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,350–1,500: 908 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,500–1,650: 692 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,650–1,800: 607 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,800–1,950: 502 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,950–2,100: 432 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,100–2,250: 346 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,250–2,400: 252 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,400–2,550: 203 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,550–2,700: 163 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,700–2,850: 115 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,850–3,000: 85 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 3,000 every US school, by enrollment, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

What the federal data reveals about equity at this school

Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.

Economic need
25.7%
free-lunch eligible — 29% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher — 3% above state mean
Top 69% in Iowa — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,427
per pupil, district-wide — below Iowa avg of $12,854
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 231 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

Enrollment 458 Top 76% in Iowa — larger than 24% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 15.4:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.7% -29% vs state
NCES ID 190336000030

Student demographics

White 87.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.0%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%

Largest group: White at 87.3% of enrollment.

Programs & staff

AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 231:1

Discipline & special education

Chronically absent 34.5%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 27

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Algona Comm School District, which includes Algona High School.

$12,427
Per student
-3%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.9%
State 40.9%
Federal 10.2%

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.

Other Schools in This District

Algona Comm School District · 4 sibling schools

View district profile

Educator & family resources

In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.

Understanding NCES data

How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.

Choose a school district

Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.

How schools are funded

Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.

Chronic absenteeism

Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.

Magnet vs charter vs traditional

Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.

School discipline data

What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.

Frequently asked questions about Algona High School

How many students attend Algona High School?

Algona High School has 458 students enrolled. It is a high school in Algona, IA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Algona High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Algona High School is 15.4:1, which is 3% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Algona High School?

25.7% of students at Algona High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Algona High School?

The largest demographic group at Algona High School is White at 87.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Algona, IA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Algona High School?

Algona High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.

Is Algona High School a good school?

Algona High School earns an F Resource Investment Index (38/100), with class sizes near the Iowa median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.

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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type — administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) — universe of U.S. public schools and districts. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — discipline, absenteeism, and AP-course participation. ocrdata.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey — per-pupil expenditure and revenue sources. nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency
  • USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. fns.usda.gov/nslp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS — demographic and socioeconomic context for school catchment areas. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • U.S. Department of Education ESSA Title I — federal Title I program participation. ed.gov