Enrollment
394
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 190693000303
Central Lee Middle School — Donnellson, IA
Federal NCES profile for Central Lee Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 73
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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Lee Middle 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 Middle School reports 394 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% above the Iowa average and 25% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 438 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.7% 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 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Middle 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 27% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.0% | ▲ 7% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 394 | top 66% | — | — |
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
39.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 27% above state mean
Top 92% in Iowa — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Per 438 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 394 Top 66% in Iowa — larger than 34% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.0% +7% vs state
NCES ID 190693000303
Student demographics
White 94.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
African American 1.0%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 94.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.9
Students per counselor 438:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.7%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Lee Comm School District, which includes Central Lee Middle 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
- 564
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- 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 Middle School
How many students attend Central Lee Middle School?
Central Lee Middle School has 394 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Donnellson, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Lee Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Lee Middle School is 19.1:1, which is 27% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Lee Middle School?
39.0% of students at Central Lee Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Lee Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Central Lee Middle School is White at 94.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Donnellson, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Lee Middle School?
Central Lee Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.