Enrollment
221
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 190348000046
Alta-Aurelia High School — Alta, IA
Federal NCES profile for Alta-Aurelia High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 45
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 41
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 →
School address
District: Alta-Aurelia 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.
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alta-Aurelia High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
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
Alta-Aurelia High School reports 221 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Iowa average and 41% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 251 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alta-Aurelia Comm School District spends $15,444 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.6% from local sources (property taxes), 45.5% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 Alta-Aurelia 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.6% | ▼ 16% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 221 | top 29% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
30.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 41% in Iowa — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
23.5%
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
$15,444
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.9 FTE
Per 251 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
Enrollment 221 Top 29% in Iowa — larger than 71% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 13.7:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.6% -16% vs state
NCES ID 190348000046
Student demographics
White 80.5%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
Two or More 1.4%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 80.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.9
Students per counselor 251:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alta-Aurelia Comm School District, which includes Alta-Aurelia High School.
$15,444
Per student
-10%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 45.5%
Federal 11.9%
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
- Enrollment
- 256
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 228
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 124
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
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 Alta-Aurelia High School
How many students attend Alta-Aurelia High School?
Alta-Aurelia High School has 221 students enrolled. It is a high school in Alta, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alta-Aurelia High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alta-Aurelia High School is 13.7:1, which is 9% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alta-Aurelia High School?
30.6% of students at Alta-Aurelia High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alta-Aurelia High School?
The largest demographic group at Alta-Aurelia High School is White at 80.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Alta, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alta-Aurelia High School?
Alta-Aurelia High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.