Enrollment
91
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mason City, IA
Alternative School
Federal NCES profile for Alternative School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 191878001099
👥 S:T ratio 27
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alternative School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Iowa schools.
- #5 of 9
- public schools in Mason City · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.2:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 55.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Alternative School has class sizes larger than 90% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alternative School ranks #5 of 9 public schools in Mason City, IA.
School address
District: Mason City Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191878001099 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alternative School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alternative School
Alternative School is a higher-need, small high school in Mason City, Iowa, enrolling 91 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.2:1 is larger than about 90% of Iowa schools and 23% above the 14.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 55.3% of students qualify for free meals, 52% above the Iowa average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Iowa schools, with 91 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 34 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #19.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 46/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 120 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 96.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Mason City's high schools, it stands alongside Mason City High School (891 students): Alternative School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.2:1 vs 15.9:1).
Mason City Comm School District also operates Mason City High School (891 students) and Lincoln Intermediate (485 students) alongside Alternative 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 Alternative School compares
Alternative 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 23% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.3% | ▲ 52% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 91 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.2:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
91
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.2:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 90% in Iowa - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
96.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,108
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 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 72.2%
Hispanic or Latino 11.1%
African American 8.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.4%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: White at 72.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.6, Alternative School is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mason City Comm School District, which includes Alternative School.
$15,108
Per student
+18%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.1%
State 44.8%
Federal 11.2%
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.
How Alternative School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason City High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Intermediate | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| John Adams Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harding Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hoover Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alternative School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 891
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 485
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 361
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar high schools in Mason City
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~91 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alternative School's federal record.
- Compare Alternative School against another school. Compare schools
- Mason City 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 Alternative School
How many students attend Alternative School?
Alternative School has 91 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mason City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alternative School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alternative School is 18.2:1, which is 23% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alternative School?
55.3% of students at Alternative School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alternative School?
The largest demographic group at Alternative School is White at 72.2% of enrollment, in Mason City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alternative School?
Alternative School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alternative School rank among public schools in Mason City?
By Resource Investment Index, Alternative School ranks #5 of 9 public schools in Mason City, 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 Mason City on the city page.
Is Alternative School a good school?
Alternative School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Iowa schools. 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 Mason City Comm School District?
Besides Alternative School, Mason City Comm School District also operates Mason City High School (891 students), Lincoln Intermediate (485 students), and John Adams Middle School (463 students). See the Mason City 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.