Enrollment
170
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Central City, IA
Central City Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Central City Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 190678000284
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central City Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Iowa schools.
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 30.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 170
- students enrolled
Central City Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Central City Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190678000284 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central City Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central City Elementary School
Central City Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Central City, Iowa, enrolling 170 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.3:1, Central City Elementary School is leaner than roughly 85% of Iowa schools and 24% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 170 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 270 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #118.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 215 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 37 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 170 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Its district, Central City Comm School District, also runs Central City High School (200 students).
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 Central City Elementary School compares
Central City 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.3% | ▼ 17% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 170 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
170
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 15% in Iowa - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.9%
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
$11,582
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.8 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 94.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
Two or More 2.9%
Largest group: White at 94.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.3, Central City 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 Central City Comm School District, which includes Central City Elementary School.
$11,582
Per student
-10%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.8%
State 50.4%
Federal 7.7%
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 Central City Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central City High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central City Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 200
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary 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 (~170 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central City Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Central City Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Central City 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 Central City Elementary School
How many students attend Central City Elementary School?
Central City Elementary School has 170 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Central City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central City Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central City Elementary School is 11.3:1, which is 24% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 28% 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 Central City Elementary School?
30.3% of students at Central City Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central City Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central City Elementary School is White at 94.1% of enrollment, in Central City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central City Elementary School?
Central City Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Central City Elementary School a good school?
Central City Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Central City Comm School District?
Besides Central City Elementary School, Central City Comm School District also operates Central City High School (200 students). See the Central City 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.