Enrollment
249
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Spencer, IA
Fairview Park Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Fairview Park Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 192691002184
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fairview Park Elementary earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Iowa schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Spencer · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 42.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Fairview Park Elementary has class sizes smaller than 92% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fairview Park Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Spencer, IA.
School address
District: Spencer Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192691002184 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairview Park Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fairview Park Elementary
Fairview Park Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Spencer, Iowa, enrolling 249 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.4:1, Fairview Park Elementary is leaner than roughly 92% of Iowa schools and 30% 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 42.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 249 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 332 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #230.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (12%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 265 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Spencer's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lincoln Elementary School (442 students): Fairview Park Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.4:1 vs 13.8:1).
Spencer Comm School District also operates Spencer High School (688 students) and Spencer Middle School (514 students) alongside Fairview Park 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 Fairview Park Elementary compares
Fairview Park 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 30% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.5% | ▲ 17% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 249 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
249
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 8% in Iowa - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.9%
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
$11,742
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.5 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 78.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.0%
Two or More 6.0%
African American 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 78.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.2, Fairview Park Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spencer Comm School District, which includes Fairview Park Elementary.
$11,742
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.2%
State 49.9%
Federal 10.0%
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 Fairview Park Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spencer Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Johnson Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fairview Park Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 201
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar elementary schools in Spencer
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 (~249 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fairview Park Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Fairview Park Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Spencer 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 Fairview Park Elementary
How many students attend Fairview Park Elementary?
Fairview Park Elementary has 249 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Spencer, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairview Park Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairview Park Elementary is 10.4:1, which is 30% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 34% 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 Fairview Park Elementary?
42.5% of students at Fairview Park Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fairview Park Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Fairview Park Elementary is White at 78.7% of enrollment, in Spencer, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairview Park Elementary?
Fairview Park Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 Fairview Park Elementary rank among public schools in Spencer?
By Resource Investment Index, Fairview Park Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Spencer, 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 Spencer on the city page.
Is Fairview Park Elementary a good school?
Fairview Park Elementary earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Spencer Comm School District?
Besides Fairview Park Elementary, Spencer Comm School District also operates Spencer High School (688 students), Spencer Middle School (514 students), and Lincoln Elementary School (442 students). See the Spencer 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.