Enrollment
242
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, IA
Buffalo Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Buffalo Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190858000459
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buffalo Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 43.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 242
- students enrolled
Buffalo Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Davenport Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190858000459 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buffalo Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buffalo Elementary School
Buffalo Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Buffalo, Iowa, enrolling 242 students.
At 13.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 43.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 242 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 316 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #240, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 242 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Davenport Comm School District also operates West High School (1,304 students) and Central High School (1,288 students) alongside Buffalo Elementary 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 Buffalo Elementary School compares
Buffalo Elementary 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 9% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.0% | ▲ 18% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 242 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
242
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 42% in Iowa - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
37.6%
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
$13,411
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 242 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.0 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 83.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.4%
Two or More 5.4%
African American 2.5%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 83.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.7, Buffalo Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Davenport Comm School District, which includes Buffalo Elementary School.
$13,411
Per student
+4%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.7%
State 53.0%
Federal 14.3%
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 Buffalo Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sudlow Intermediate | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wood Intermediate | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buffalo Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,288
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,190
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 629
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other 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 (~242 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buffalo Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Buffalo Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Davenport 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 Buffalo Elementary School
How many students attend Buffalo Elementary School?
Buffalo Elementary School has 242 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buffalo, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 9% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buffalo Elementary School?
43.0% of students at Buffalo Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buffalo Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Buffalo Elementary School is White at 83.9% of enrollment, in Buffalo, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buffalo Elementary School?
Buffalo Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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 Buffalo Elementary School a good school?
Buffalo Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. 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 Davenport Comm School District?
Besides Buffalo Elementary School, Davenport Comm School District also operates West High School (1,304 students), Central High School (1,288 students), and North High School (1,190 students). See the Davenport 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.