Enrollment
216
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Colo, IA
Colo-Nesco Middle/High School
Federal NCES profile for Colo-Nesco Middle/High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190792000395
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Colo-Nesco Middle/High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Iowa schools.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.8:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 31.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 216
- students enrolled
Colo-Nesco Middle/High School has class sizes smaller than 94% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Colo-Nesco Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190792000395 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Colo-Nesco Middle/High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Colo-Nesco Middle/High School
Colo-Nesco Middle/High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Colo, Iowa, enrolling 216 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.8:1, Colo-Nesco Middle/High School is leaner than roughly 94% of Iowa schools and 34% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 31.5% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 216 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 377 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #332, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 432 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, Colo-Nesco Comm School District, also runs Colo-Nesco Elementary School (169 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 Middle/High School compares
Colo-Nesco Middle/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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 34% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.5% | ▼ 13% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 216 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
216
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 6% in Iowa - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.0%
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
$13,213
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
13
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 89.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Two or More 4.2%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 89.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.9, Colo-Nesco Middle/High 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 Middle/High 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 Middle/High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colo-Nesco Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Colo-Nesco Middle/High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 169
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~216 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Colo-Nesco Middle/High School's federal record.
- Compare Colo-Nesco Middle/High 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 Middle/High School
How many students attend Colo-Nesco Middle/High School?
Colo-Nesco Middle/High School has 216 students enrolled. It is a public school in Colo, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Colo-Nesco Middle/High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Colo-Nesco Middle/High School is 9.8:1, which is 34% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 38% 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 Middle/High School?
31.5% of students at Colo-Nesco Middle/High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Colo-Nesco Middle/High School?
The largest demographic group at Colo-Nesco Middle/High School is White at 89.8% of enrollment, in Colo, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Colo-Nesco Middle/High School?
Colo-Nesco Middle/High School 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).
Is Colo-Nesco Middle/High School a good school?
Colo-Nesco Middle/High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% 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 Middle/High School, Colo-Nesco Comm School District also operates Colo-Nesco Elementary School (169 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.