Enrollment
305
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cascade, IA
Cascade Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cascade Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 193135001824
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cascade Elementary School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 22.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 305
- students enrolled
Cascade Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Western Dubuque Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 193135001824 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.7%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cascade Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cascade Elementary School
Cascade Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cascade, Iowa, enrolling 305 students.
At 14.5:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 22.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 305 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 407 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #75.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 305 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
10.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Cascade's public schools, it stands alongside Cascade Junior-Senior High School (392 students): Cascade Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.5:1 vs 13.1:1).
Western Dubuque Comm School District also operates Western Dubuque High School (927 students) and Drexler Middle School (639 students) alongside Cascade 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 Cascade Elementary School compares
Cascade 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 2% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.7% | ▼ 38% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 305 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
305
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 58% in Iowa - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.2%
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
$11,657
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 305 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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 86.9%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
Two or More 1.6%
Largest group: White at 86.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.1, Cascade 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 Western Dubuque Comm School District, which includes Cascade Elementary School.
$11,657
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.9%
State 46.7%
Federal 10.4%
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 Cascade Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Dubuque High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Drexler Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Peosta Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cascade Junior-Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Epworth Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cascade Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 927
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 639
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 425
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 392
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar other schools in Cascade
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~305 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cascade Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cascade Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Western Dubuque 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 Cascade Elementary School
How many students attend Cascade Elementary School?
Cascade Elementary School has 305 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cascade, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cascade Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cascade Elementary School is 14.5:1, which is 2% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 8% 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 Cascade Elementary School?
22.7% of students at Cascade Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cascade Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cascade Elementary School is White at 86.9% of enrollment, in Cascade, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cascade Elementary School?
Cascade Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Cascade Elementary School a good school?
Cascade Elementary School earns 56/100 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 Western Dubuque Comm School District?
Besides Cascade Elementary School, Western Dubuque Comm School District also operates Western Dubuque High School (927 students), Drexler Middle School (639 students), and Peosta Elementary School (425 students). See the Western Dubuque 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.