Enrollment
469
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 193048002024
Central Middle School — Waterloo, IA
Federal NCES profile for Central Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
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: Waterloo 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+110% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central 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 Middle School reports 469 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 110% above the Iowa average and 48% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 235 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 56.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waterloo Comm School District spends $16,839 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.0% from local sources (property taxes), 56.9% from the state, and 20.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 10% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.6% | ▲ 110% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 469 | top 78% | — | — |
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
76.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 110% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 37% in Iowa — lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
56.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,839
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 235 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
164
in-school suspensions + 270 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 35.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 92.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 469 Top 78% in Iowa — larger than 22% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.6% +110% vs state
NCES ID 193048002024
Student demographics
African American 34.1%
White 26.0%
Hispanic or Latino 14.9%
Two or More 12.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 8.3%
Asian 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 34.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 235:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 56.7%
In-school suspensions 164
Out-of-school suspensions 270
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterloo Comm School District, which includes Central Middle School.
$16,839
Per student
-2%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.0%
State 56.9%
Federal 20.1%
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
- 1,696
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,016
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 848
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
Similar middle schools in Waterloo
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Middle School
How many students attend Central Middle School?
Central Middle School has 469 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waterloo, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Middle School is 13.5:1, which is 10% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Middle School?
76.6% of students at Central Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Central Middle School is African American at 34.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waterloo, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Middle School?
Central Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.