Enrollment
1,161
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 191545000926
Johnston Middle School — Johnston, IA
Federal NCES profile for Johnston Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 67
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: Johnston 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)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Johnston 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
Johnston Middle School reports 1,161 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 64.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Iowa average and 59% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 581 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Johnston Comm School District spends $13,194 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.6% from local sources (property taxes), 45.8% from the state, and 7.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Johnston 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 21% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.3% | ▼ 41% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,161 | top 97% | — | — |
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
21.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
18.2:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 91% in Iowa — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,194
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 581 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 93 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,161 Top 97% in Iowa — larger than 3% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 64.0
Students per teacher 18.2:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.3% -41% vs state
NCES ID 191545000926
Student demographics
White 64.1%
African American 12.0%
Asian 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 64.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 581:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.4%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 93
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston Comm School District, which includes Johnston Middle School.
$13,194
Per student
-23%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 45.8%
Federal 7.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,820
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,118
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 840
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Similar other schools in Johnston
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Johnston Middle School
How many students attend Johnston Middle School?
Johnston Middle School has 1,161 students enrolled. It is a other school in Johnston, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Johnston Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Johnston Middle School is 18.2:1, which is 21% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Johnston Middle School?
21.3% of students at Johnston Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Johnston Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Johnston Middle School is White at 64.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Johnston, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Johnston Middle School?
Johnston Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.