Enrollment
852
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Fort Madison, IA
Fort Madison High School
Federal NCES profile for Fort Madison High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 191185000733
👥 S:T ratio 5
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fort Madison High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Iowa schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Fort Madison · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.7:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 40.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Fort Madison High School has class sizes larger than 96% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fort Madison High School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Fort Madison, IA.
School address
District: Fort Madison Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191185000733 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+60% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.7%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Madison High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fort Madison High School
Fort Madison High School is a large high school in Fort Madison, Iowa, enrolling 852 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.7:1 is larger than about 96% of Iowa schools and 60% above the 14.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 40.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 94% of state schools at 852 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 92 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #81, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 426 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Fort Madison Comm School District also operates Fort Madison Middle School (695 students) and Richardson Elementary School (311 students) alongside Fort Madison 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 Fort Madison High School compares
Fort Madison 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 | 23.7:1 | ▲ 60% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.7% | ▲ 12% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 852 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.7:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
852
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
23.7:1
students per teacher
- 60% above state mean
Top 96% in Iowa - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
23.4%
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
$13,473
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 426 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 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 82.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Two or More 6.6%
African American 1.6%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 82.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.1, Fort Madison High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Madison Comm School District, which includes Fort Madison High School.
$13,473
Per student
+5%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 52.3%
Federal 13.8%
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 Fort Madison High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Madison Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Richardson Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fort Madison High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~852 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fort Madison High School's federal record.
- Compare Fort Madison High School against another school. Compare schools
- Fort Madison 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 Fort Madison High School
How many students attend Fort Madison High School?
Fort Madison High School has 852 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fort Madison, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Madison High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Madison High School is 23.7:1, which is 60% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 51% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fort Madison High School?
40.7% of students at Fort Madison High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Madison High School?
The largest demographic group at Fort Madison High School is White at 82.3% of enrollment, in Fort Madison, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Madison High School?
Fort Madison High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Fort Madison High School rank among public schools in Fort Madison?
By Resource Investment Index, Fort Madison High School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Fort Madison, 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 Fort Madison on the city page.
Is Fort Madison High School a good school?
Fort Madison High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% 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 Fort Madison Comm School District?
Besides Fort Madison High School, Fort Madison Comm School District also operates Fort Madison Middle School (695 students), Richardson Elementary School (311 students), and Lincoln Elementary School (236 students). See the Fort Madison 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.