Enrollment
423
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Altoona, IA
Centennial Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Centennial Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192682001567
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Centennial Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #2 of 4
- schools in Altoona · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 27.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Centennial Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Centennial Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Altoona, IA.
School address
District: Southeast Polk Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192682001567 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Centennial Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Centennial Elementary
Centennial Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Altoona, Iowa, enrolling 423 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 423 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 417 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #306, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 423 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Altoona's public schools, it stands alongside Clay Elementary (700 students): Centennial Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.8:1 vs 18.9:1).
Southeast Polk Comm School District also operates Southeast Polk High School (1,722 students) and Spring Creek - 6th Grade (1,112 students) alongside Centennial Elementary.
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 Centennial Elementary compares
Centennial Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.8:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.9% | ▼ 23% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 423 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
423
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 33% in Iowa - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.8%
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
$11,914
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 423 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 71.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Two or More 8.7%
African American 8.5%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 71.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.3, Centennial Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southeast Polk Comm School District, which includes Centennial Elementary.
$11,914
Per student
-7%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.9%
State 52.1%
Federal 10.0%
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 Centennial Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Polk High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spring Creek - 6th Grade | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southeast Polk Junior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clay Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willowbrook Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Centennial Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,722
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,112
- Students per teacher
- 32.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Altoona
3 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 (~423 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Centennial Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Centennial Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Southeast Polk 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 Centennial Elementary
How many students attend Centennial Elementary?
Centennial Elementary has 423 students enrolled. It is a public school in Altoona, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Centennial Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Centennial Elementary is 12.8:1, which is 14% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 18% 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 Centennial Elementary?
27.9% of students at Centennial Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Centennial Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Centennial Elementary is White at 71.6% of enrollment, in Altoona, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Centennial Elementary?
Centennial Elementary 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).
How does Centennial Elementary rank among schools in Altoona?
By Resource Investment Index, Centennial Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Altoona, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Altoona on the city page.
Is Centennial Elementary a good school?
Centennial Elementary earns 43/100 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 Southeast Polk Comm School District?
Besides Centennial Elementary, Southeast Polk Comm School District also operates Southeast Polk High School (1,722 students), Spring Creek - 6th Grade (1,112 students), and Southeast Polk Junior High (1,088 students). See the Southeast Polk 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.