Enrollment
486
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Harlan, IA
Harlan High School
Federal NCES profile for Harlan High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 191350000821
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harlan High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Harlan · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 27.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Harlan High School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harlan High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Harlan, IA.
School address
District: Harlan Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191350000821 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harlan High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harlan High School
Harlan High School is a mid-sized high school in Harlan, Iowa, enrolling 486 students.
At 13.5:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 27.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 486 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 357 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #82.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 243 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Harlan Comm School District also operates Harlan Primary (342 students) and Harlan Community Middle School (335 students) alongside Harlan 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 Harlan High School compares
Harlan 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.5% | ▼ 24% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
486
Bigger than 60% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 43% in Iowa - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$11,794
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 243 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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 86.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Two or More 2.5%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.7, Harlan High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlan Comm School District, which includes Harlan High School.
$11,794
Per student
-8%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 48.7%
Federal 11.6%
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 Harlan High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Primary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlan Community Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlan Intermediate School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harlan High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 335
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 309
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- 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 (~486 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harlan High School's federal record.
- Compare Harlan High School against another school. Compare schools
- Harlan 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 High School
How many students attend Harlan High School?
Harlan High School has 486 students enrolled. It is a high school in Harlan, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harlan High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harlan High School is 13.5:1, which is 9% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 14% 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 High School?
27.5% of students at Harlan High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harlan High School?
The largest demographic group at Harlan High School is White at 86.8% of enrollment, in Harlan, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harlan High School?
Harlan High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Harlan High School rank among public schools in Harlan?
By Resource Investment Index, Harlan High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Harlan, 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 Harlan on the city page.
Is Harlan High School a good school?
Harlan High School earns 42/100 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 Harlan Comm School District?
Besides Harlan High School, Harlan Comm School District also operates Harlan Primary (342 students), Harlan Community Middle School (335 students), and Harlan Intermediate School (309 students). See the Harlan 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.