Enrollment
308
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 191107000686
Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School — Estherville, IA
Federal NCES profile for Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 44
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Estherville Lincoln Central Com Sch Dist · Iowa
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School reports 308 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 32% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% above the Iowa average and 17% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 308 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Estherville Lincoln Central Com Sch Dist spends $14,412 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.2% from local sources (property taxes), 50.4% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.8:1 | ▼ 28% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.9% | ▲ 18% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 308 | top 50% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
42.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% 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
10.8:1
students per teacher
— 28% below state mean
Top 7% in Iowa — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,412
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 308 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 308 Top 50% in Iowa — larger than 50% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 10.8:1 -28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.9% +18% vs state
NCES ID 191107000686
Student demographics
White 63.6%
Hispanic or Latino 33.4%
Two or More 2.9%
Largest group: White at 63.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 308:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.4%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Estherville Lincoln Central Com Sch Dist, which includes Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School.
$14,412
Per student
-16%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.2%
State 50.4%
Federal 10.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 460
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School
How many students attend Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School?
Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School has 308 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Estherville, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School is 10.8:1, which is 28% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 32% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School?
42.9% of students at Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School is White at 63.6%. The school serves a student body in Estherville, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School?
Estherville Lincoln Central Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.