Enrollment
472
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Charles City, IA
Charles City High School
Federal NCES profile for Charles City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 190708000319
👥 S:T ratio 49
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charles City High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Charles City · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 41.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Charles City High School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Charles City High School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Charles City, IA.
School address
District: Charles City Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190708000319 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charles City High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Charles City High School
Charles City High School is a mid-sized high school in Charles City, Iowa, enrolling 472 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 41.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 472 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 336 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #140.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 44/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 236 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Charles City Comm School District also operates Charles City Ms (386 students) and Lincoln Elementary School (280 students) alongside Charles City High School.
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 Charles City High School compares
Charles 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.2% | ▲ 13% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 472 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
472
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 33% in Iowa - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.2%
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
$13,913
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 236 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.2 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 73.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
African American 9.1%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 73.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.9, Charles City High School is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charles City Comm School District, which includes Charles City High School.
$13,913
Per student
+8%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.7%
State 48.6%
Federal 18.7%
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 Charles City High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles City Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Charles City High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 386
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 206
- Students per teacher
- 6.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar high 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 (~472 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charles City High School's federal record.
- Compare Charles City High School against another school. Compare schools
- Charles 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 Charles City High School
How many students attend Charles City High School?
Charles City High School has 472 students enrolled. It is a high school in Charles City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charles City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Charles City High School is 12.8:1, which is 14% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 18% 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 Charles City High School?
41.2% of students at Charles City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charles City High School?
The largest demographic group at Charles City High School is White at 73.5% of enrollment, in Charles City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charles City High School?
Charles City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Charles City High School rank among public schools in Charles City?
By Resource Investment Index, Charles City High School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Charles City, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Charles City on the city page.
Is Charles City High School a good school?
Charles City High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. 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 Charles City Comm School District?
Besides Charles City High School, Charles City Comm School District also operates Charles City Ms (386 students), Lincoln Elementary School (280 students), and Washington Elementary School (206 students). See the Charles 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.