Other / mixed grade configuration · Cedar Falls, IA

Cedar Heights Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Cedar Heights Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190651000222
0/100100/10046/100
👥 S:T ratio
44
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
10
📋 Attendance
60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Cedar Heights Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.

#9 of 10
schools in Cedar Falls · Resource Index
46
Resource Index · Typical
14.1:1
students per teacher
37.3%
free-lunch eligible

Cedar Heights Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Cedar Heights Elementary School ranks #9 of 10 schools in Cedar Falls, IA.

Enrollment

451

Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

32.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.1:1

vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg

-5% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

37.3%

vs 36.4% Iowa avg

+2% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Cedar Heights Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Cedar Heights Elementary School

Cedar Heights Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cedar Falls, Iowa, enrolling 451 students.

At 14.1:1, 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 37.3% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 451 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.

Against 370 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #168.

Its student body is led by White (77%) and Two or More (9%) (diversity index 39/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 451 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

16.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Among Cedar Falls's public schools, it stands alongside Peet Junior High School (695 students): Cedar Heights Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 14.2:1).

Cedar Falls Comm School District also operates Cedar Falls High School (1,333 students) and Peet Junior High School (695 students) alongside Cedar Heights 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 Cedar Heights Elementary School compares

Cedar Heights 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 14.1:1 ▼ 5% 14.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 37.3% ▲ 2% 36.4% 51.7%
Enrollment 451 top 25% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
451
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
37.3%
free-lunch eligible - 2% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher - 5% below state mean
Top 52% in Iowa - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,378
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 451 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 77.2%
Two or More 9.1%
African American 5.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Asian 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%

Largest group: White at 77.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 39.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 39.0, Cedar Heights 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 Cedar Falls Comm School District, which includes Cedar Heights Elementary School.

$11,378
Per student
-11%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.2%
State 51.4%
Federal 9.4%

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 Cedar Heights Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Cedar Falls High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Peet Junior High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Holmes Junior High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Helen a Hansen Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Southdale Elementary School Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Cedar Heights Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Cedar Falls Comm School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Cedar Falls

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Cedar Heights Elementary School's federal record.

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 Cedar Heights Elementary School

How many students attend Cedar Heights Elementary School?

Cedar Heights Elementary School has 451 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cedar Falls, IA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Cedar Heights Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Cedar Heights Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 5% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 10% 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 Cedar Heights Elementary School?

37.3% of students at Cedar Heights Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cedar Heights Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Cedar Heights Elementary School is White at 77.2% of enrollment, in Cedar Falls, IA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Cedar Heights Elementary School?

Cedar Heights Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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).

How does Cedar Heights Elementary School rank among schools in Cedar Falls?

By Resource Investment Index, Cedar Heights Elementary School ranks #9 of 10 schools in Cedar Falls, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cedar Falls on the city page.

Is Cedar Heights Elementary School a good school?

Cedar Heights Elementary School earns 46/100 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 Cedar Falls Comm School District?

Besides Cedar Heights Elementary School, Cedar Falls Comm School District also operates Cedar Falls High School (1,333 students), Peet Junior High School (695 students), and Holmes Junior High School (628 students). See the Cedar Falls Comm School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.