Enrollment
603
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 190897000540
Harding Middle School — Des Moines, IA
Federal NCES profile for Harding Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Des Moines Independent Comm School District · Iowa
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+126% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harding Middle School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Harding Middle School reports 603 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 82.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 126% above the Iowa average and 59% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 302 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 63.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Des Moines Independent Comm School District spends $16,255 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.4% from local sources (property taxes), 56.2% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Harding Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.7:1 | ▲ 18% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.3% | ▲ 126% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 603 | top 88% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
82.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 126% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 88% in Iowa — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
63.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,255
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 302 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
34
in-school suspensions + 160 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 603 Top 88% in Iowa — larger than 12% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 17.7:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 82.3% +126% vs state
NCES ID 190897000540
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 34.3%
African American 29.5%
White 15.9%
Asian 10.3%
Two or More 9.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 34.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 302:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 63.3%
In-school suspensions 34
Out-of-school suspensions 160
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Des Moines Independent Comm School District, which includes Harding Middle School.
$16,255
Per student
-6%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 56.2%
Federal 14.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,364
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 30.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,952
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,428
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 898
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
Similar middle schools in Des Moines
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Weeks Middle School
Standard public school
688 students 18:1 students per teacher
Mccombs Middle School
Standard public school
670 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Meredith Middle School
Standard public school
662 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Merrill Middle School
Standard public school
657 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Brody Middle School
Standard public school
641 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Callanan Middle School
Standard public school
553 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Harding Middle School
How many students attend Harding Middle School?
Harding Middle School has 603 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Des Moines, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harding Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harding Middle School is 17.7:1, which is 18% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harding Middle School?
82.3% of students at Harding Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harding Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Harding Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 34.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Des Moines, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harding Middle School?
Harding Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.