Enrollment
253
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Guthrie Center, IA
Guthrie Center Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Guthrie Center Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191332000803
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Guthrie Center Elementary School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Iowa schools.
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 27.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 253
- students enrolled
Guthrie Center Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Guthrie Center Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191332000803 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Guthrie Center Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Guthrie Center Elementary School
Guthrie Center Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Guthrie Center, Iowa, enrolling 253 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11:1, Guthrie Center Elementary School is leaner than roughly 87% of Iowa schools and 26% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 253 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 420 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #42, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 253 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district, Guthrie Center Comm School District, also runs Guthrie Center High School (198 students).
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 Guthrie Center Elementary School compares
Guthrie Center Elementary 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 | 11:1 | ▼ 26% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.5% | ▼ 24% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 253 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
253
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
11:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 13% in Iowa - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,684
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 253 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 87.4%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 2.0%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 87.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.9, Guthrie Center Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Guthrie Center Comm School District, which includes Guthrie Center Elementary School.
$13,684
Per student
+6%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 42.4%
Federal 9.0%
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 Guthrie Center Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guthrie Center High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Guthrie Center Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 198
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~253 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Guthrie Center Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Guthrie Center Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Guthrie Center 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 Guthrie Center Elementary School
How many students attend Guthrie Center Elementary School?
Guthrie Center Elementary School has 253 students enrolled. It is a public school in Guthrie Center, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Guthrie Center Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Guthrie Center Elementary School is 11:1, which is 26% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 30% 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 Guthrie Center Elementary School?
27.5% of students at Guthrie Center Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Guthrie Center Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Guthrie Center Elementary School is White at 87.4% of enrollment, in Guthrie Center, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Guthrie Center Elementary School?
Guthrie Center Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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).
Is Guthrie Center Elementary School a good school?
Guthrie Center Elementary School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Guthrie Center Comm School District?
Besides Guthrie Center Elementary School, Guthrie Center Comm School District also operates Guthrie Center High School (198 students). See the Guthrie Center 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.