Enrollment
488
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 190897000516
Hiatt Middle School — Des Moines, IA
Federal NCES profile for Hiatt Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+140% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hiatt 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
Hiatt Middle School reports 488 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 140% above the Iowa average and 69% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 271 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 70.3% 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 38/100 (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 Hiatt 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 7% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.5% | ▲ 140% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 488 | top 79% | — | — |
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
87.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 140% 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
16:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 76% in Iowa — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
70.3%
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
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 271 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 132 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 488 Top 79% in Iowa — larger than 21% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 16:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.5% +140% vs state
NCES ID 190897000516
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 53.3%
African American 20.5%
White 13.3%
Asian 7.2%
Two or More 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.8
Students per counselor 271:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 70.3%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 132
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Des Moines Independent Comm School District, which includes Hiatt 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
Harding Middle School
Standard public school
603 students 17.7:1 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 Hiatt Middle School
How many students attend Hiatt Middle School?
Hiatt Middle School has 488 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Des Moines, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hiatt Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hiatt Middle School is 16:1, which is 7% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hiatt Middle School?
87.5% of students at Hiatt Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hiatt Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Hiatt Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 53.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Des Moines, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hiatt Middle School?
Hiatt Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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.