Enrollment
512
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Grinnell, IA
Grinnell Community Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Grinnell Community Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 191320000792
👥 S:T ratio 40
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Grinnell Community Senior High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Grinnell · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.1:1
- students per teacher
- 25.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Grinnell Community Senior High School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Grinnell Community Senior High School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Grinnell, IA.
School address
District: Grinnell-Newburg Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191320000792 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Grinnell Community Senior High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Grinnell Community Senior High School
Grinnell Community Senior High School is a mid-sized high school in Grinnell, Iowa, enrolling 512 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 512 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 322 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #274, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 256 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Grinnell-Newburg Comm School District also operates Grinnell Community Middle School (420 students) and Fairview Elementary School (242 students) alongside Grinnell Community Senior 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 Grinnell Community Senior High School compares
Grinnell Community Senior 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.3% | ▼ 30% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
512
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 67% in Iowa - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
40.2%
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
$13,305
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 256 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 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 87.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
African American 2.7%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.6, Grinnell Community Senior High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grinnell-Newburg Comm School District, which includes Grinnell Community Senior High School.
$13,305
Per student
+4%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.2%
State 49.2%
Federal 9.6%
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 Grinnell Community Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grinnell Community Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fairview Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Davis Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bailey Park Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Grinnell Community Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 420
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 242
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 213
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 147
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~512 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Grinnell Community Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Grinnell Community Senior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Grinnell-Newburg 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 Grinnell Community Senior High School
How many students attend Grinnell Community Senior High School?
Grinnell Community Senior High School has 512 students enrolled. It is a high school in Grinnell, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Grinnell Community Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Grinnell Community Senior High School is 15.1:1, which is 2% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Grinnell Community Senior High School?
25.3% of students at Grinnell Community Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Grinnell Community Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Grinnell Community Senior High School is White at 87.7% of enrollment, in Grinnell, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Grinnell Community Senior High School?
Grinnell Community Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Grinnell Community Senior High School rank among public schools in Grinnell?
By Resource Investment Index, Grinnell Community Senior High School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Grinnell, 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 Grinnell on the city page.
Is Grinnell Community Senior High School a good school?
Grinnell Community Senior High School earns 39/100 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 Grinnell-Newburg Comm School District?
Besides Grinnell Community Senior High School, Grinnell-Newburg Comm School District also operates Grinnell Community Middle School (420 students), Fairview Elementary School (242 students), and Davis Elementary School (213 students). See the Grinnell-Newburg 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.