Enrollment
386
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Charles City, IA
Charles City Ms
Federal NCES profile for Charles City Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 190708000320
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charles City Ms earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Charles City · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 47.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Charles City Ms has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Charles City Ms ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Charles City, IA.
School address
District: Charles City Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190708000320 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charles City Ms compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Charles City Ms
Charles City Ms is a mid-sized elementary school in Charles City, Iowa, enrolling 386 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 47.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 386 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 312 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #205.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 386 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.0% 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.
Discipline events run high: 93 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 386 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Charles City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lincoln Elementary School (280 students): Charles City Ms is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.3:1 vs 23.3:1).
Charles City Comm School District also operates Charles City High School (472 students) and Lincoln Elementary School (280 students) alongside Charles City Ms.
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 Ms compares
Charles City Ms on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.3% | ▲ 30% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 386 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
386
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 40% in Iowa - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.0%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 386 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
59
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.1 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 75.4%
African American 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 75.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.3, Charles City Ms is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charles City Comm School District, which includes Charles City Ms.
$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 Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles City High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Charles City Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- 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 elementary schools in Charles City
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~386 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charles City Ms's federal record.
- Compare Charles City Ms 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 Ms
How many students attend Charles City Ms?
Charles City Ms has 386 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Charles City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charles City Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Charles City Ms is 13.3:1, which is 10% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 15% 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 Ms?
47.3% of students at Charles City Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charles City Ms?
The largest demographic group at Charles City Ms is White at 75.4% of enrollment, in Charles City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charles City Ms?
Charles City Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Charles City Ms rank among public schools in Charles City?
By Resource Investment Index, Charles City Ms ranks #2 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 Ms a good school?
Charles City Ms earns 42/100 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 Ms, Charles City Comm School District also operates Charles City High School (472 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.