Enrollment
410
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fairfield, IA
Fairfield Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Fairfield Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191134000694
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fairfield Middle School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Iowa schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Fairfield · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.8:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 42.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Fairfield Middle School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield Middle School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Fairfield, IA.
School address
District: Fairfield Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191134000694 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairfield Middle School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fairfield Middle School
Fairfield Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Fairfield, Iowa, enrolling 410 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.8:1, Fairfield Middle School is leaner than roughly 88% of Iowa schools and 27% 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 42.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 410 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 363 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #40.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 216 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Fairfield's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pence Elementary (317 students): Fairfield Middle School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.8:1 vs 11.3:1).
Fairfield Comm School District also operates Fairfield High School (442 students) and Pence Elementary (317 students) alongside Fairfield Middle 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 Middle School compares
Fairfield Middle 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 | 10.8:1 | ▼ 27% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.9% | ▲ 18% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 410 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.8:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
410
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
- 27% below state mean
Top 12% in Iowa - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.9%
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
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 216 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 79.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Two or More 5.4%
Asian 4.4%
African American 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 79.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.6, Fairfield Middle School is about as mixed as the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfield Comm School District, which includes Fairfield Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pence Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fairfield Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- 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 elementary schools in Fairfield
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 (~410 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fairfield Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Fairfield Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Fairfield Middle School?
Fairfield Middle School has 410 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fairfield, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairfield Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairfield Middle School is 10.8:1, which is 27% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 31% 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 Middle School?
42.9% of students at Fairfield Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fairfield Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Fairfield Middle School is White at 79.3% of enrollment, in Fairfield, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairfield Middle School?
Fairfield Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Fairfield Middle School rank among public schools in Fairfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield Middle School ranks #2 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 Middle School a good school?
Fairfield Middle School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Fairfield Comm School District?
Besides Fairfield Middle School, Fairfield Comm School District also operates Fairfield High School (442 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.