Enrollment
564
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 190693000305
Central Lee Elementary School — Donnellson, IA
Federal NCES profile for Central Lee Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 59/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 76
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Central Lee Comm School District · Iowa
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.7%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Lee Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Central Lee Elementary School reports 564 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Iowa average and 41% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Central Lee Comm School District spends $14,994 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.3% from local sources (property taxes), 39.4% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Central Lee Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▲ 15% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.7% | ▼ 16% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 564 | top 86% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
30.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 86% in Iowa — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,994
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 564 Top 86% in Iowa — larger than 14% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.7% -16% vs state
NCES ID 190693000305
Student demographics
White 94.7%
African American 2.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 94.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.8%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Lee Comm School District, which includes Central Lee Elementary School.
$14,994
Per student
-13%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.3%
State 39.4%
Federal 10.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Central Lee Elementary School
How many students attend Central Lee Elementary School?
Central Lee Elementary School has 564 students enrolled. It is a other school in Donnellson, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Lee Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Lee Elementary School is 17.3:1, which is 15% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Lee Elementary School?
30.7% of students at Central Lee Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Lee Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Lee Elementary School is White at 94.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Donnellson, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Lee Elementary School?
Central Lee Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.