Enrollment
169
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dallas Center, IA
Dallas Center Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dallas Center Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 190852000705
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dallas Center Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Iowa schools.
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.9:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 23.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 169
- students enrolled
Dallas Center Elementary has class sizes smaller than 94% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190852000705 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dallas Center Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dallas Center Elementary
Dallas Center Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Dallas Center, Iowa, enrolling 169 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.9:1, Dallas Center Elementary is leaner than roughly 94% of Iowa schools and 33% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 169 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 229 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #12, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 169 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Dallas Center's elementary schools, it stands alongside Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School (586 students): Dallas Center Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.9:1 vs 16.7:1).
Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District also operates Dallas Center-Grimes High School (1,073 students) and Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School (586 students) alongside Dallas Center 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 Dallas Center Elementary compares
Dallas Center 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 | 9.9:1 | ▼ 33% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.6% | ▼ 35% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 169 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.9:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
169
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.9:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 6% in Iowa - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,874
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 169 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 93.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 1.2%
Largest group: White at 93.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.4, Dallas Center Elementary is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District, which includes Dallas Center Elementary.
$10,874
Per student
-15%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.8%
State 47.4%
Federal 6.8%
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 Dallas Center Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Center-Grimes High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dc-G Oak View | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heritage Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Prairie Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dallas Center Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar elementary schools in Dallas Center
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~169 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dallas Center Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dallas Center Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Dallas Center-Grimes 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 Dallas Center Elementary
How many students attend Dallas Center Elementary?
Dallas Center Elementary has 169 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dallas Center, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dallas Center Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dallas Center Elementary is 9.9:1, which is 33% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 37% 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 Dallas Center Elementary?
23.6% of students at Dallas Center Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dallas Center Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dallas Center Elementary is White at 93.5% of enrollment, in Dallas Center, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dallas Center Elementary?
Dallas Center Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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).
Is Dallas Center Elementary a good school?
Dallas Center Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% 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 Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District?
Besides Dallas Center Elementary, Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District also operates Dallas Center-Grimes High School (1,073 students), Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School (586 students), and Dc-G Oak View (537 students). See the Dallas Center-Grimes 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.