Enrollment
349
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cresco, IA
Crestwood Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Crestwood Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191428000848
👥 S:T ratio 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Crestwood Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Iowa schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Cresco · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.7:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 45.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Crestwood Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 97% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Crestwood Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Cresco, IA.
School address
District: Howard-Winneshiek Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191428000848 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.7:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Crestwood Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Crestwood Elementary School
Crestwood Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Cresco, Iowa, enrolling 349 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.7:1, Crestwood Elementary School is leaner than roughly 97% of Iowa schools and 41% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 45.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 349 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.
Against 350 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #89.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 360 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Howard-Winneshiek Comm School District also operates Crestwood High School (346 students) and Cresco Early Childhood Development Center (43 students) alongside Crestwood 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 Crestwood Elementary School compares
Crestwood 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 | 8.7:1 | ▼ 41% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.6% | ▲ 25% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 349 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.7:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
349
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
8.7:1
students per teacher
- 41% below state mean
Top 3% in Iowa - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.3%
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
$13,437
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
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 83.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.6%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 83.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.1, Crestwood Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard-Winneshiek Comm School District, which includes Crestwood Elementary School.
$13,437
Per student
+5%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.5%
State 47.2%
Federal 12.3%
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 Crestwood Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestwood High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cresco Early Childhood Development Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Crestwood Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 346
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 43
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~349 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Crestwood Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Crestwood Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Howard-Winneshiek 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 Crestwood Elementary School
How many students attend Crestwood Elementary School?
Crestwood Elementary School has 349 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cresco, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Crestwood Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Crestwood Elementary School is 8.7:1, which is 41% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 45% 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 Crestwood Elementary School?
45.6% of students at Crestwood Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Crestwood Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Crestwood Elementary School is White at 83.4% of enrollment, in Cresco, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Crestwood Elementary School?
Crestwood Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Crestwood Elementary School rank among public schools in Cresco?
By Resource Investment Index, Crestwood Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Cresco, 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 Cresco on the city page.
Is Crestwood Elementary School a good school?
Crestwood Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Howard-Winneshiek Comm School District?
Besides Crestwood Elementary School, Howard-Winneshiek Comm School District also operates Crestwood High School (346 students) and Cresco Early Childhood Development Center (43 students). See the Howard-Winneshiek 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.