Enrollment
201
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Spencer, IA
Johnson Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Johnson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192691002170
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Johnson Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Spencer · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.6:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 43.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Johnson Elementary has class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Johnson Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Spencer, IA.
School address
District: Spencer Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192691002170 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.7%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Johnson Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Johnson Elementary
Johnson Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Spencer, Iowa, enrolling 201 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.6:1, Johnson Elementary is leaner than roughly 95% of Iowa schools and 35% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 43.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 201 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 245 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #160.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 201 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Spencer Comm School District also operates Spencer High School (688 students) and Spencer Middle School (514 students) alongside Johnson Elementary.
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 Johnson Elementary compares
Johnson Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.6:1 | ▼ 35% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.7% | ▲ 20% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 201 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
201
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 5% in Iowa - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.4%
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
$11,742
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 201 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.
Student demographics
White 81.1%
Hispanic or Latino 10.0%
Two or More 6.5%
African American 1.5%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 81.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.8, Johnson Elementary is about as mixed as the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spencer Comm School District, which includes Johnson Elementary.
$11,742
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.2%
State 49.9%
Federal 10.0%
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 Johnson Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spencer Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fairview Park Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Johnson Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 249
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other 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 (~201 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Johnson Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Johnson Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Spencer 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 Johnson Elementary
How many students attend Johnson Elementary?
Johnson Elementary has 201 students enrolled. It is a public school in Spencer, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Johnson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Johnson Elementary is 9.6:1, which is 35% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 39% 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 Johnson Elementary?
43.7% of students at Johnson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Johnson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Johnson Elementary is White at 81.1% of enrollment, in Spencer, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Johnson Elementary?
Johnson Elementary 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 Johnson Elementary rank among public schools in Spencer?
By Resource Investment Index, Johnson Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Spencer, 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 Spencer on the city page.
Is Johnson Elementary a good school?
Johnson Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools. 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 Spencer Comm School District?
Besides Johnson Elementary, Spencer Comm School District also operates Spencer High School (688 students), Spencer Middle School (514 students), and Lincoln Elementary School (442 students). See the Spencer 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.