Enrollment
254
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Marion, IA
Longfellow Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Longfellow Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191869002245
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Longfellow Elementary earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #1 of 4
- schools in Marion · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 35.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Longfellow Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Longfellow Elementary ranks #1 of 4 schools in Marion, IA.
School address
District: Marion Independent School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191869002245 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Longfellow Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Longfellow Elementary
Longfellow Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Marion, Iowa, enrolling 254 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 35.8% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 254 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 424 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #149.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Two or More (9%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 254 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Marion's public schools, it stands alongside Echo Hill Elementary (536 students): Longfellow Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.7:1 vs 15.8:1).
Marion Independent School District also operates Marion High School (735 students) and Vernon Middle School (587 students) alongside Longfellow 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 Longfellow Elementary compares
Longfellow 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 2% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 254 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
254
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 31% in Iowa - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.9%
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
$12,964
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 254 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 77.2%
Two or More 9.1%
African American 8.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 77.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.6, Longfellow Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Marion Independent School District, which includes Longfellow Elementary.
$12,964
Per student
+1%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.7%
State 43.1%
Federal 9.2%
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 Longfellow Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vernon Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Francis Marion Intermediate School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Starry Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Longfellow Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 735
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 267
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other schools in Marion
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~254 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Longfellow Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Longfellow Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Marion Independent 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 Longfellow Elementary
How many students attend Longfellow Elementary?
Longfellow Elementary has 254 students enrolled. It is a public school in Marion, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Longfellow Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Longfellow Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 14% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 19% 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 Longfellow Elementary?
35.8% of students at Longfellow Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Longfellow Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Longfellow Elementary is White at 77.2% of enrollment, in Marion, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Longfellow Elementary?
Longfellow Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher 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 Longfellow Elementary rank among schools in Marion?
By Resource Investment Index, Longfellow Elementary ranks #1 of 4 schools in Marion, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Marion on the city page.
Is Longfellow Elementary a good school?
Longfellow Elementary earns 54/100 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 Marion Independent School District?
Besides Longfellow Elementary, Marion Independent School District also operates Marion High School (735 students), Vernon Middle School (587 students), and Francis Marion Intermediate School (320 students). See the Marion Independent 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.