Enrollment
301
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Carter Lake, IA
Carter Lake Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Carter Lake Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190822000413
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carter Lake Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Iowa schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.8:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 60.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 301
- students enrolled
Carter Lake Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Council Bluffs Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190822000413 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carter Lake Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carter Lake Elementary School
Carter Lake Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Carter Lake, Iowa, enrolling 301 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.8:1, Carter Lake Elementary School is leaner than roughly 88% of Iowa schools and 27% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 60.1% of students qualify for free meals, 65% above the Iowa average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 301 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 151 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #72.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 301 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Council Bluffs Comm School District also operates Abraham Lincoln High School (1,333 students) and Thomas Jefferson High School (1,146 students) alongside Carter Lake 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 Carter Lake Elementary School compares
Carter Lake 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 | 10.8:1 | ▼ 27% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.1% | ▲ 65% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 301 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.8:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
301
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.8:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 12% in Iowa - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.5%
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
$14,703
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 301 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.3 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 69.1%
Hispanic or Latino 18.3%
African American 6.6%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 69.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.2, Carter Lake Elementary School is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Council Bluffs Comm School District, which includes Carter Lake Elementary School.
$14,703
Per student
+14%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 53.5%
Federal 16.3%
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 Carter Lake Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gerald W Kirn Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodrow Wilson Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| College View Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carter Lake Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,333
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,146
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 913
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 855
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~301 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carter Lake Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Carter Lake Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Council Bluffs 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 Carter Lake Elementary School
How many students attend Carter Lake Elementary School?
Carter Lake Elementary School has 301 students enrolled. It is a public school in Carter Lake, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carter Lake Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Carter Lake Elementary School is 10.8:1, which is 27% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 31% 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 Carter Lake Elementary School?
60.1% of students at Carter Lake Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carter Lake Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Carter Lake Elementary School is White at 69.1% of enrollment, in Carter Lake, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carter Lake Elementary School?
Carter Lake Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Carter Lake Elementary School a good school?
Carter Lake Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Council Bluffs Comm School District?
Besides Carter Lake Elementary School, Council Bluffs Comm School District also operates Abraham Lincoln High School (1,333 students), Thomas Jefferson High School (1,146 students), and Gerald W Kirn Middle School (913 students). See the Council Bluffs 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.