Enrollment
142
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Creston, IA
Creston Early Childhood Center
Federal NCES profile for Creston Early Childhood Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190831000446
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Creston Early Childhood Center earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Creston · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 37.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Creston Early Childhood Center has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Creston Early Childhood Center ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Creston, IA.
School address
District: Creston Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190831000446 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.7%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Creston Early Childhood Center compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Creston Early Childhood Center
Creston Early Childhood Center is a small combined-grade school in Creston, Iowa, enrolling 142 students.
At 14.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 37.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 142 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 182 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #165, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Creston Comm School District also operates Creston High School (486 students) and Creston Elementary School (416 students) alongside Creston Early Childhood Center.
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 Creston Early Childhood Center compares
Creston Early Childhood Center on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.7% | ▲ 4% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 142 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
142
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 54% in Iowa - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.1%
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
$12,291
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 90.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 90.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.4, Creston Early Childhood Center is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Creston Comm School District, which includes Creston Early Childhood Center.
$12,291
Per student
-4%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.0%
State 48.9%
Federal 14.1%
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 Creston Early Childhood Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creston High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Creston Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Creston Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Creston Early Childhood Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 259
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~142 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Creston Early Childhood Center's federal record.
- Compare Creston Early Childhood Center against another school. Compare schools
- Creston 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 Creston Early Childhood Center
How many students attend Creston Early Childhood Center?
Creston Early Childhood Center has 142 students enrolled. It is a public school in Creston, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Creston Early Childhood Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Creston Early Childhood Center is 14.2:1, which is 4% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 10% 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 Creston Early Childhood Center?
37.7% of students at Creston Early Childhood Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Creston Early Childhood Center?
The largest demographic group at Creston Early Childhood Center is White at 90.1% of enrollment, in Creston, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Creston Early Childhood Center?
Creston Early Childhood Center has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Creston Early Childhood Center rank among public schools in Creston?
By Resource Investment Index, Creston Early Childhood Center ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Creston, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Creston on the city page.
Is Creston Early Childhood Center a good school?
Creston Early Childhood Center earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. 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 Creston Comm School District?
Besides Creston Early Childhood Center, Creston Comm School District also operates Creston High School (486 students), Creston Elementary School (416 students), and Creston Middle School (259 students). See the Creston 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.