Enrollment
401
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pella, IA
Madison Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Madison Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192247001508
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Madison Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Iowa schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Pella · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 19.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Madison Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Madison Elementary School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Pella, IA.
School address
District: Pella Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192247001508 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Madison Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Madison Elementary School
Madison Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Pella, Iowa, enrolling 401 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.8% free-meal eligibility runs 46% below the Iowa average.
Enrollment of 401 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 367 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #67.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 401 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Pella's public schools, it stands alongside Lincoln Elementary School (254 students): Madison Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.8:1 vs 12.1:1).
Pella Comm School District also operates Pella High School (801 students) and Jefferson Intermediate (494 students) alongside Madison Elementary School.
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 Madison Elementary School compares
Madison 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 20% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.8% | ▼ 46% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 401 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
401
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 20% in Iowa - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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 401 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 86.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 2.2%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.1, Madison 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 Pella Comm School District, which includes Madison Elementary School.
$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 Madison Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pella High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Intermediate | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pella Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Madison Elementary School'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
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- 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 other schools in Pella
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 (~401 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Madison Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Madison Elementary School 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 Madison Elementary School
How many students attend Madison Elementary School?
Madison Elementary School has 401 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pella, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Madison Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Madison Elementary School is 11.8:1, which is 20% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 25% 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 Madison Elementary School?
19.8% of students at Madison Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Madison Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Madison Elementary School is White at 86.8% of enrollment, in Pella, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Madison Elementary School?
Madison Elementary School 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 Madison Elementary School rank among public schools in Pella?
By Resource Investment Index, Madison Elementary School ranks #2 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 Madison Elementary School a good school?
Madison Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Pella Comm School District?
Besides Madison Elementary School, Pella Comm School District also operates Pella High School (801 students), Jefferson Intermediate (494 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.