Enrollment
200
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Central City, IA
Central City High School
Federal NCES profile for Central City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190678000285
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central City High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.5:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 26.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 200
- students enrolled
Central City High School has class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Central City Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190678000285 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central City High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central City High School
Central City High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Central City, Iowa, enrolling 200 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.5:1, Central City High School is leaner than roughly 95% of Iowa schools and 36% 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 26.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 200 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 321 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #252, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 250 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Central City Comm School District, also runs Central City Elementary School (170 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 High School compares
Central City High 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 36% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.3% | ▼ 28% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 200 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.5:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
200
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
9.5:1
students per teacher
- 36% below state mean
Top 5% in Iowa - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.5%
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
$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
9
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.5 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 92.0%
African American 3.0%
Two or More 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 92.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.2, Central City High 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 High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central City Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central City High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 170
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~200 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central City High School's federal record.
- Compare Central City High 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 High School
How many students attend Central City High School?
Central City High School has 200 students enrolled. It is a public school in Central City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central City High School is 9.5:1, which is 36% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 39% 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 High School?
26.3% of students at Central City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central City High School?
The largest demographic group at Central City High School is White at 92.0% of enrollment, in Central City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central City High School?
Central City High 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).
Is Central City High School a good school?
Central City High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 High School, Central City Comm School District also operates Central City Elementary School (170 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.