Enrollment
396
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Indianola, IA
Emerson Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Emerson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191464000870
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Emerson Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Iowa schools.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Indianola · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 32.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Emerson Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Indianola, IA.
School address
District: Indianola Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191464000870 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emerson Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Emerson Elementary School
Emerson Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Indianola, Iowa, enrolling 396 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 32.4% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 396 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 432 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #155.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 400 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
17.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Indianola's elementary schools, it stands alongside Wilder Elementary School (456 students): Emerson Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 14.7:1).
Indianola Comm School District also operates Indianola High School (1,165 students) and Indianola Middle School (818 students) alongside Emerson 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 Emerson Elementary School compares
Emerson 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 19% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.4% | ▼ 11% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 396 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
396
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
12:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 22% in Iowa - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,417
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
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 87.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 87.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.2, Emerson 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 Indianola Comm School District, which includes Emerson Elementary School.
$11,417
Per student
-11%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 52.4%
Federal 7.9%
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 Emerson Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianola High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Indianola Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wilder Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Irving Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whittier Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Emerson Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 395
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar elementary schools in Indianola
2 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 (~396 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Emerson Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Emerson Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Indianola 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 Emerson Elementary School
How many students attend Emerson Elementary School?
Emerson Elementary School has 396 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Indianola, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emerson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Emerson Elementary School is 12:1, which is 19% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 24% 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 Emerson Elementary School?
32.4% of students at Emerson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emerson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Emerson Elementary School is White at 87.9% of enrollment, in Indianola, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emerson Elementary School?
Emerson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Emerson Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Indianola?
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Indianola, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Indianola on the city page.
Is Emerson Elementary School a good school?
Emerson Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Indianola Comm School District?
Besides Emerson Elementary School, Indianola Comm School District also operates Indianola High School (1,165 students), Indianola Middle School (818 students), and Wilder Elementary School (456 students). See the Indianola 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.