Enrollment
267
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Belle Plaine, IA
Longfellow Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Longfellow Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190462000127
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Longfellow Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 32.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 267
- students enrolled
Longfellow Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Belle Plaine Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190462000127 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Longfellow Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Longfellow Elementary School
Longfellow Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Belle Plaine, Iowa, enrolling 267 students.
At 14.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 32.5% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 267 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 452 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #409, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1068 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Belle Plaine's public schools, it stands alongside Belle Plaine Jr/Sr High School (205 students): Longfellow Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.1:1 vs 10.8:1).
Its district, Belle Plaine Comm School District, also runs Belle Plaine Jr/Sr High School (205 students).
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 School compares
Longfellow Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.5% | ▼ 11% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 267 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
267
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 52% in Iowa - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.3%
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
$13,117
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 85.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 5.6%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 85.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.5, Longfellow Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belle Plaine Comm School District, which includes Longfellow Elementary School.
$13,117
Per student
+2%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.8%
State 45.2%
Federal 11.0%
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 Longfellow Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Plaine Jr/Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Longfellow Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 205
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools in Belle Plaine
1 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 (~267 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Longfellow Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Longfellow Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Belle Plaine 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 Longfellow Elementary School
How many students attend Longfellow Elementary School?
Longfellow Elementary School has 267 students enrolled. It is a public school in Belle Plaine, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Longfellow Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Longfellow Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 5% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 10% 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 School?
32.5% of students at Longfellow Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Longfellow Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Longfellow Elementary School is White at 85.8% of enrollment, in Belle Plaine, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Longfellow Elementary School?
Longfellow Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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).
Is Longfellow Elementary School a good school?
Longfellow Elementary School earns 40/100 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 Belle Plaine Comm School District?
Besides Longfellow Elementary School, Belle Plaine Comm School District also operates Belle Plaine Jr/Sr High School (205 students). See the Belle Plaine 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.