Enrollment
363
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Postville, IA
Cora B Darling Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cora B Darling Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192334001377
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cora B Darling Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Iowa schools.
- #2 of 4
- schools in Postville · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 63.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Cora B Darling Elementary has class sizes smaller than 92% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cora B Darling Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Postville, IA.
School address
District: Postville Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192334001377 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-30% 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
What stands out at Cora B Darling Elementary
Cora B Darling Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Postville, Iowa, enrolling 363 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.4:1, Cora B Darling Elementary is leaner than roughly 92% of Iowa schools and 30% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 63.5% of students qualify for free meals, 74% above the Iowa average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 363 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 147 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #16, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (78%) and White (18%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 363 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Postville's public schools, it stands alongside John R Mott Jr/Hi School (342 students): Cora B Darling Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.4:1 vs 14.3:1).
Postville Comm School District also operates John R Mott Jr/Hi School (342 students) and Postville Early Childhood Preschool/Ogden St (18 students) alongside Cora B Darling Elementary.
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 Cora B Darling Elementary compares
Cora B Darling Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.4:1 | ▼ 30% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.5% | ▲ 74% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 363 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
363
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 8% in Iowa - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.1%
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
$14,450
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 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 35.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.8, Cora B Darling Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Postville Comm School District, which includes Cora B Darling Elementary.
$14,450
Per student
+12%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Cora B Darling Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John R Mott Jr/Hi School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Postville Early Childhood Preschool/Ogden St | Smaller | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Postville Early Childhood Preschool/Post St/Rec Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Cora B Darling Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Postville
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~363 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cora B Darling Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cora B Darling Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Postville 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 Cora B Darling Elementary
How many students attend Cora B Darling Elementary?
Cora B Darling Elementary has 363 students enrolled. It is a public 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 10.4:1, which is 30% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 34% 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 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% of enrollment, in Postville, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cora B Darling Elementary?
Cora B Darling Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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).
How does Cora B Darling Elementary rank among schools in Postville?
By Resource Investment Index, Cora B Darling Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Postville, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Postville on the city page.
Is Cora B Darling Elementary a good school?
Cora B Darling Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Postville Comm School District?
Besides Cora B Darling Elementary, Postville Comm School District also operates John R Mott Jr/Hi School (342 students), Postville Early Childhood Preschool/Ogden St (18 students), and Postville Early Childhood Preschool/Post St/Rec Center (14 students). See the Postville 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.