Enrollment
473
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Van Horne, IA
Benton Community Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Benton Community Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 190483000137
👥 S:T ratio 35
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 15
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benton Community Senior High School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Iowa schools.
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 22.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 473
- students enrolled
Benton Community Senior High School has class sizes larger than 80% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Benton Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190483000137 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benton Community Senior High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benton Community Senior High School
Benton Community Senior High School is a mid-sized high school in Van Horne, Iowa, enrolling 473 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 473 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 345 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #343, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 473 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Benton Comm School District also operates Atkins Elementary School (394 students) and Norway Elementary School (336 students) alongside Benton Community Senior High 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 Senior High School compares
Benton Community Senior High 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.8% | ▼ 37% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 473 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
473
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 80% in Iowa - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.0%
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
$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 473 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 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 91.8%
Two or More 3.6%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
African American 1.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.5, Benton Community Senior High School is less 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 Benton Comm School District, which includes Benton Community Senior High 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 Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atkins Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Norway Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Benton Community Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Keystone Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benton Community Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- 235
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 176
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~473 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benton Community Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Benton Community Senior High 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 Senior High School
How many students attend Benton Community Senior High School?
Benton Community Senior High School has 473 students enrolled. It is a high school in Van Horne, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benton Community Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benton Community Senior High School is 16.3:1, which is 10% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benton Community Senior High School?
22.8% of students at Benton Community Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benton Community Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Benton Community Senior High School is White at 91.8% of enrollment, in Van Horne, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benton Community Senior High School?
Benton Community Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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).
Is Benton Community Senior High School a good school?
Benton Community Senior High School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% 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 Senior High School, Benton Comm School District also operates Atkins Elementary School (394 students), Norway Elementary School (336 students), and Benton Community Middle School (235 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.