Enrollment
220
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mount Pleasant, IA
Harlan Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Harlan Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191989001169
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harlan Elementary School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Mount Pleasant · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 44.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Harlan Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harlan Elementary School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Mount Pleasant, IA.
School address
District: Mount Pleasant Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191989001169 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harlan Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harlan Elementary School
Harlan Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, enrolling 220 students.
At 13.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 44.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 220 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 275 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #50.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 220 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Mount Pleasant's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lincoln Elementary School (202 students): Harlan Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.8:1 vs 11.2:1).
Mount Pleasant Comm School District also operates Mount Pleasant High School (545 students) and Mount Pleasant Middle School (383 students) alongside Harlan Elementary 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 Harlan Elementary School compares
Harlan 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.1% | ▲ 21% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 220 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
220
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 47% in Iowa - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,800
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 220 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mount Pleasant Comm School District, which includes Harlan Elementary School.
$12,800
Per student
0%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.1%
State 53.4%
Federal 11.5%
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 Harlan Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mount Pleasant Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Van Allen Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Salem Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harlan Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 86
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 68/100
Similar elementary schools in Mount Pleasant
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~220 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harlan Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Harlan Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Mount Pleasant 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 Harlan Elementary School
How many students attend Harlan Elementary School?
Harlan Elementary School has 220 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mount Pleasant, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harlan Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harlan Elementary School is 13.8:1, which is 7% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 12% 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 Harlan Elementary School?
44.1% of students at Harlan Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harlan Elementary School?
Harlan Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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).
How does Harlan Elementary School rank among public schools in Mount Pleasant?
By Resource Investment Index, Harlan Elementary School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Mount Pleasant, 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 Mount Pleasant on the city page.
Is Harlan Elementary School a good school?
Harlan Elementary School earns 57/100 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 Mount Pleasant Comm School District?
Besides Harlan Elementary School, Mount Pleasant Comm School District also operates Mount Pleasant High School (545 students), Mount Pleasant Middle School (383 students), and Van Allen Elementary School (362 students). See the Mount Pleasant 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.