Enrollment
363
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 192334001377
Cora B Darling Elementary — Postville, IA
Federal NCES profile for Cora B Darling Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 64
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 50
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: Postville 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.9:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cora B Darling Elementary 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
Cora B Darling Elementary reports 363 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 41% 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 44% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 74% above the Iowa average and 23% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 363 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Postville Comm School District spends $15,797 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.2% from local sources (property taxes), 53.0% from the state, and 18.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Cora B Darling Elementary 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 | 8.9:1 | ▼ 41% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.5% | ▲ 74% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 363 | top 61% | — | — |
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
63.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 74% 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
8.9:1
students per teacher
— 41% below state mean
Top 1% in Iowa — lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,797
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 363 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 363 Top 61% in Iowa — larger than 39% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 8.9:1 -41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.5% +74% vs state
NCES ID 192334001377
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 78.0%
White 17.9%
African American 3.6%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 78.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 363:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.1%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Postville Comm School District, which includes Cora B Darling Elementary.
$15,797
Per student
-8%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.2%
State 53.0%
Federal 18.8%
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
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Postville
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Cora B Darling Elementary
How many students attend Cora B Darling Elementary?
Cora B Darling Elementary has 363 students enrolled. It is a other school in Postville, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cora B Darling Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cora B Darling Elementary is 8.9:1, which is 41% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 44% 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 Cora B Darling Elementary?
63.5% of students at Cora B Darling Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cora B Darling Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cora B Darling Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 78.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Postville, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cora B Darling Elementary?
Cora B Darling Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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.