Enrollment
442
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Fairfield, IA
Fairfield High School
Federal NCES profile for Fairfield High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 191134000693
👥 S:T ratio 43
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fairfield High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Fairfield · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 37.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Fairfield High School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield High School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Fairfield, IA.
School address
District: Fairfield Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191134000693 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairfield High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fairfield High School
Fairfield High School is a mid-sized high school in Fairfield, Iowa, enrolling 442 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 37.0% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 442 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.
Against 377 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #261.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 221 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Fairfield Comm School District also operates Fairfield Middle School (410 students) and Pence Elementary (317 students) alongside Fairfield High 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 Fairfield High School compares
Fairfield High 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.0% | ▲ 2% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 442 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
442
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 56% in Iowa - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
47.1%
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
$13,725
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 221 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
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 81.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 2.9%
African American 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.3, Fairfield High School is about as mixed as the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfield Comm School District, which includes Fairfield High School.
$13,725
Per student
+7%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.1%
State 43.0%
Federal 14.9%
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 Fairfield High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pence Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fairfield High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 317
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 239
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high 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 (~442 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fairfield High School's federal record.
- Compare Fairfield High School against another school. Compare schools
- Fairfield 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 Fairfield High School
How many students attend Fairfield High School?
Fairfield High School has 442 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fairfield, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairfield High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairfield High School is 14.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 9% 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 Fairfield High School?
37.0% of students at Fairfield High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fairfield High School?
The largest demographic group at Fairfield High School is White at 81.7% of enrollment, in Fairfield, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairfield High School?
Fairfield High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Fairfield High School rank among public schools in Fairfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield High School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Fairfield, 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 Fairfield on the city page.
Is Fairfield High School a good school?
Fairfield High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. 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 Fairfield Comm School District?
Besides Fairfield High School, Fairfield Comm School District also operates Fairfield Middle School (410 students), Pence Elementary (317 students), and Washington Elementary (239 students). See the Fairfield 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.