Enrollment
548
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 190369002094
Ashland Ridge Elementary — Ankeny, IA
Federal NCES profile for Ashland Ridge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 48
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: Ankeny 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ashland Ridge Elementary 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
Ashland Ridge Elementary reports 548 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 37% 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 15.9:1, it is 29% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 9.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 75% below the Iowa average and 82% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 274 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ankeny Comm School District spends $14,014 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.8% from local sources (property taxes), 50.4% from the state, and 5.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Ashland Ridge Elementary 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 | 20.5:1 | ▲ 37% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.2% | ▼ 75% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 548 | top 84% | — | — |
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
9.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 75% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher
— 37% above state mean
Top 95% in Iowa — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$14,014
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 274 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 548 Top 84% in Iowa — larger than 16% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 20.5:1 +37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 9.2% -75% vs state
NCES ID 190369002094
Student demographics
White 77.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
African American 5.3%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 4.6%
Largest group: White at 77.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 274:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.0%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ankeny Comm School District, which includes Ashland Ridge Elementary.
$14,014
Per student
-19%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.8%
State 50.4%
Federal 5.8%
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
- 1,470
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,375
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,021
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,004
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 913
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Ankeny
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Rock Creek Elementary
Standard public school
639 students 17:1 students per teacher
Heritage Elementary
Standard public school
604 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Northeast Elementary
Standard public school
595 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Southeast Elementary School
Standard public school
585 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Westwood Elementary School
Standard public school
551 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Prairie Trail Elementary
Standard public school
526 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
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 Ashland Ridge Elementary
How many students attend Ashland Ridge Elementary?
Ashland Ridge Elementary has 548 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Ankeny, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ashland Ridge Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ashland Ridge Elementary is 20.5:1, which is 37% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 29% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ashland Ridge Elementary?
9.2% of students at Ashland Ridge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ashland Ridge Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ashland Ridge Elementary is White at 77.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ankeny, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ashland Ridge Elementary?
Ashland Ridge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 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.