Enrollment
495
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pleasant Hill, IA
Four Mile Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Four Mile Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192682001569
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Four Mile Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Iowa schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Pleasant Hill · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 30.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Four Mile Elementary has class sizes larger than 77% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Four Mile Elementary ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Pleasant Hill, IA.
School address
District: Southeast Polk Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192682001569 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Four Mile Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Four Mile Elementary
Four Mile Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, enrolling 495 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 30.8% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 495 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.
Among 358 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #280, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 495 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Southeast Polk Comm School District also operates Southeast Polk High School (1,722 students) and Spring Creek - 6th Grade (1,112 students) alongside Four Mile 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 Four Mile Elementary compares
Four Mile 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 8% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.8% | ▼ 15% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 495 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
495
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 77% in Iowa - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,914
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 495 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 69.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.3%
Asian 5.5%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 4.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.9, Four Mile Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southeast Polk Comm School District, which includes Four Mile Elementary.
$11,914
Per student
-7%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.9%
State 52.1%
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 Four Mile Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Polk High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Spring Creek - 6th Grade | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southeast Polk Junior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clay Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willowbrook Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Four Mile Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,722
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,112
- Students per teacher
- 32.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other 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 (~495 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Four Mile Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Four Mile Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Southeast Polk 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 Four Mile Elementary
How many students attend Four Mile Elementary?
Four Mile Elementary has 495 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pleasant Hill, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Four Mile Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Four Mile Elementary is 16:1, which is 8% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Four Mile Elementary?
30.8% of students at Four Mile Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Four Mile Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Four Mile Elementary is White at 69.7% of enrollment, in Pleasant Hill, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Four Mile Elementary?
Four Mile Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Four Mile Elementary rank among public schools in Pleasant Hill?
By Resource Investment Index, Four Mile Elementary ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Pleasant Hill, 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 Pleasant Hill on the city page.
Is Four Mile Elementary a good school?
Four Mile Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% 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 Southeast Polk Comm School District?
Besides Four Mile Elementary, Southeast Polk Comm School District also operates Southeast Polk High School (1,722 students), Spring Creek - 6th Grade (1,112 students), and Southeast Polk Junior High (1,088 students). See the Southeast Polk 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.