Enrollment
169
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Zearing, IA
Colo-Nesco Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Colo-Nesco Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190792002204
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Colo-Nesco Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Iowa schools.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.1:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 38.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 169
- students enrolled
Colo-Nesco Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Colo-Nesco Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190792002204 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-18% 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
What stands out at Colo-Nesco Elementary School
Colo-Nesco Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Zearing, Iowa, enrolling 169 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 38.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 169 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 248 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #87.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 338 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
14.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district, Colo-Nesco Comm School District, also runs Colo-Nesco Middle/High School (216 students).
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 Colo-Nesco Elementary School compares
Colo-Nesco Elementary 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 18% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.1% | ▲ 5% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 169 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
169
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 24% in Iowa - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,213
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 85.2%
Two or More 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Largest group: White at 85.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.3, Colo-Nesco Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Colo-Nesco Comm School District, which includes Colo-Nesco Elementary School.
$13,213
Per student
+3%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Colo-Nesco Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colo-Nesco Middle/High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Colo-Nesco Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 216
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other 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 (~169 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Colo-Nesco Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Colo-Nesco Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Colo-Nesco 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 Colo-Nesco Elementary School
How many students attend Colo-Nesco Elementary School?
Colo-Nesco Elementary School has 169 students enrolled. It is a public 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 12.1:1, which is 18% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 23% 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 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% of enrollment, in Zearing, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Colo-Nesco Elementary School?
Colo-Nesco Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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).
Is Colo-Nesco Elementary School a good school?
Colo-Nesco Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Iowa schools. 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 Colo-Nesco Comm School District?
Besides Colo-Nesco Elementary School, Colo-Nesco Comm School District also operates Colo-Nesco Middle/High School (216 students). See the Colo-Nesco 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.