Enrollment
235
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Van Horne, IA
Benton Community Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Benton Community Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 190483001987
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benton Community Middle School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Iowa schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18.1:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 19.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 235
- students enrolled
Benton Community Middle School has class sizes larger than 89% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Benton Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190483001987 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benton Community Middle School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benton Community Middle School
Benton Community Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Van Horne, Iowa, enrolling 235 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.1:1 is larger than about 89% of Iowa schools and 22% above the 14.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.1% free-meal eligibility runs 48% below the Iowa average.
Enrollment of 235 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 292 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #129.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 235 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
14.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Benton Comm School District also operates Benton Community Senior High School (473 students) and Atkins Elementary School (394 students) alongside Benton Community Middle 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 Benton Community Middle School compares
Benton Community Middle 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 | 18.1:1 | ▲ 22% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.1% | ▼ 48% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 235 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
235
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 89% in Iowa - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,929
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 235 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 91.5%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 91.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.1, Benton Community Middle School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benton Comm School District, which includes Benton Community Middle School.
$10,929
Per student
-15%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.9%
State 48.5%
Federal 10.7%
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 Benton Community Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Community Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Atkins Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Norway Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Keystone Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benton Community Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 336
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 176
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar middle 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 (~235 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benton Community Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Benton Community Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Benton 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 Benton Community Middle School
How many students attend Benton Community Middle School?
Benton Community Middle School has 235 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Van Horne, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benton Community Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benton Community Middle School is 18.1:1, which is 22% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benton Community Middle School?
19.1% of students at Benton Community Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benton Community Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Benton Community Middle School is White at 91.5% of enrollment, in Van Horne, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benton Community Middle School?
Benton Community Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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).
Is Benton Community Middle School a good school?
Benton Community Middle School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 Benton Comm School District?
Besides Benton Community Middle School, Benton Comm School District also operates Benton Community Senior High School (473 students), Atkins Elementary School (394 students), and Norway Elementary School (336 students). See the Benton 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.