Enrollment
494
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pella, IA
Jefferson Intermediate
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson Intermediate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 192247000116
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jefferson Intermediate earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Pella · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 17.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Jefferson Intermediate has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson Intermediate ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Pella, IA.
School address
District: Pella Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192247000116 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson Intermediate compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jefferson Intermediate
Jefferson Intermediate is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Pella, Iowa, enrolling 494 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.1% free-meal eligibility runs 53% below the Iowa average.
Enrollment of 494 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 267 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #131.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 494 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Pella Comm School District also operates Pella High School (801 students) and Madison Elementary School (401 students) alongside Jefferson Intermediate.
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 Jefferson Intermediate compares
Jefferson Intermediate on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.1% | ▼ 53% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 494 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
494
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 66% in Iowa - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,689
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 494 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 88.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.0%
African American 1.0%
Largest group: White at 88.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.1, Jefferson Intermediate is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pella Comm School District, which includes Jefferson Intermediate.
$11,689
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 43.6%
Federal 7.9%
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 Jefferson Intermediate Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pella High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madison Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pella Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jefferson Intermediate's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
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 (~494 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jefferson Intermediate's federal record.
- Compare Jefferson Intermediate against another school. Compare schools
- Pella 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 Jefferson Intermediate
How many students attend Jefferson Intermediate?
Jefferson Intermediate has 494 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pella, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Intermediate?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Intermediate is 15:1, which is 1% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jefferson Intermediate?
17.1% of students at Jefferson Intermediate are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson Intermediate?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson Intermediate is White at 88.1% of enrollment, in Pella, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson Intermediate?
Jefferson Intermediate has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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 Jefferson Intermediate rank among public schools in Pella?
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson Intermediate ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Pella, 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 Pella on the city page.
Is Jefferson Intermediate a good school?
Jefferson Intermediate earns 47/100 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 Pella Comm School District?
Besides Jefferson Intermediate, Pella Comm School District also operates Pella High School (801 students), Madison Elementary School (401 students), and Pella Middle School (375 students). See the Pella 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.