Enrollment
255
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 192076001236
Central Springs Middle School — Nora Springs, IA
Federal NCES profile for Central Springs Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 54
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 Springs 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Springs 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 Springs Middle School reports 255 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 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: 33.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Iowa average and 35% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 255 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Central Springs Comm School District spends $14,704 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.1% from local sources (property taxes), 45.1% from the state, and 10.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Springs 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 | 17.3:1 | ▲ 15% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.9% | ▼ 7% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 255 | top 37% | — | — |
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
33.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
18.4%
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
$14,704
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 255 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 255 Top 37% in Iowa — larger than 63% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.9% -7% vs state
NCES ID 192076001236
Student demographics
White 90.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 90.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 255:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.4%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Springs Comm School District, which includes Central Springs Middle School.
$14,704
Per student
-15%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.1%
State 45.1%
Federal 10.8%
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
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 145
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 143
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
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 Springs Middle School
How many students attend Central Springs Middle School?
Central Springs Middle School has 255 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Nora Springs, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Springs Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Springs Middle 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 Springs Middle School?
33.9% of students at Central Springs Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Springs Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Central Springs Middle School is White at 90.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Nora Springs, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Springs Middle School?
Central Springs Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.