Enrollment
215
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 190873001501
Carrie Lee Elementary — Decorah, IA
Federal NCES profile for Carrie Lee Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 65
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: Decorah Community 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carrie Lee 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
Carrie Lee Elementary reports 215 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% below the Iowa average and 51% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Decorah Community School District spends $15,164 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.6% from local sources (property taxes), 43.0% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 3 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 Carrie Lee 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 | 13.2:1 | ▼ 12% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.3% | ▼ 30% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 215 | top 28% | — | — |
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
25.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% 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
13.2:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 33% in Iowa — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,164
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 215 Top 28% in Iowa — larger than 72% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 13.2:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.3% -30% vs state
NCES ID 190873001501
Student demographics
White 87.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Two or More 2.3%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 87.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.0%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Decorah Community School District, which includes Carrie Lee Elementary.
$15,164
Per student
-12%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.6%
State 43.0%
Federal 9.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Decorah
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Carrie Lee Elementary
How many students attend Carrie Lee Elementary?
Carrie Lee Elementary has 215 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Decorah, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carrie Lee Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carrie Lee Elementary is 13.2:1, which is 12% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carrie Lee Elementary?
25.3% of students at Carrie Lee Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carrie Lee Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carrie Lee Elementary is White at 87.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Decorah, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carrie Lee Elementary?
Carrie Lee Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.