Enrollment
169
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 190792002204
Colo-Nesco Elementary School — Zearing, IA
Federal NCES profile for Colo-Nesco Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 65
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: Colo-Nesco 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
11.1:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Colo-Nesco Elementary 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
Colo-Nesco Elementary School reports 169 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% 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 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% above the Iowa average and 26% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 338 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Colo-Nesco Comm School District spends $32,980 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.6% from local sources (property taxes), 38.5% from the state, and 9.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Colo-Nesco Elementary 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 26% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.1% | ▲ 5% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 169 | top 18% | — | — |
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
38.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% 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
11.1:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 9% in Iowa — lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.2%
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
$32,980
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 338 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 169 Top 18% in Iowa — larger than 82% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 11.1:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.1% +5% vs state
NCES ID 190792002204
Student demographics
White 85.2%
Two or More 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Largest group: White at 85.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 338:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Colo-Nesco Comm School District, which includes Colo-Nesco Elementary School.
$32,980
Per student
+92%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+69%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 38.5%
Federal 9.0%
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
- 216
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
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 Colo-Nesco Elementary School
How many students attend Colo-Nesco Elementary School?
Colo-Nesco Elementary School has 169 students enrolled. It is a other school in Zearing, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Colo-Nesco Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Colo-Nesco Elementary School is 11.1:1, which is 26% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 30% 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 Colo-Nesco Elementary School?
38.1% of students at Colo-Nesco Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Colo-Nesco Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Colo-Nesco Elementary School is White at 85.2%. The school serves a student body in Zearing, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Colo-Nesco Elementary School?
Colo-Nesco Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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.