Enrollment
416
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Creston, IA
Creston Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Creston Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 190831001421
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Creston Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Iowa schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Creston · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.2:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 48.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Creston Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Creston Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Creston, IA.
School address
District: Creston Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190831001421 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Creston Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Creston Elementary School
Creston Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Creston, Iowa, enrolling 416 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 48.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 416 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 277 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #210, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 416 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Creston Comm School District also operates Creston High School (486 students) and Creston Middle School (259 students) alongside Creston Elementary School.
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 Elementary School compares
Creston 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 18% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.5% | ▲ 33% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 416 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
416
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
12.2:1
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
16.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 416 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 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 87.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.5, Creston Elementary School 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 Elementary School.
$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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creston High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Creston Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Creston Early Childhood Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Creston Elementary School'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
- 259
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 142
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary 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 (~416 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Creston Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Creston Elementary School 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 Elementary School
How many students attend Creston Elementary School?
Creston Elementary School has 416 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Creston, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Creston Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Creston Elementary School is 12.2:1, which is 18% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 22% 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 Elementary School?
48.5% of students at Creston Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Creston Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Creston Elementary School is White at 87.7% of enrollment, in Creston, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Creston Elementary School?
Creston Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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).
How does Creston Elementary School rank among public schools in Creston?
By Resource Investment Index, Creston Elementary School ranks #4 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 Elementary School a good school?
Creston Elementary School earns 39/100 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 Creston Comm School District?
Besides Creston Elementary School, Creston Comm School District also operates Creston High School (486 students), Creston Middle School (259 students), and Creston Early Childhood Center (142 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.