Enrollment
735
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Marion, IA
Marion High School
Federal NCES profile for Marion High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 191869001075
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Marion High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Iowa schools.
- #8 of 15
- public schools in Marion · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.1:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 24.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Marion High School has class sizes larger than 85% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Marion High School ranks #8 of 15 public schools in Marion, IA.
School address
District: Marion Independent School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191869001075 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Marion High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Marion High School
Marion High School is a large high school in Marion, Iowa, enrolling 735 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 92% of state schools at 735 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 173 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #78.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 368 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Marion's high schools, it stands alongside Linn-Mar High School (2,229 students): Marion High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.1:1 vs 17.1:1).
Marion Independent School District also operates Vernon Middle School (587 students) and Francis Marion Intermediate School (320 students) alongside Marion High 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 Marion High School compares
Marion High 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 16% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.4% | ▼ 33% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 735 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.1:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
735
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 85% in Iowa - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 368 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 82.3%
Two or More 6.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
African American 4.4%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 82.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.3, Marion High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Marion Independent School District, which includes Marion High School.
$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 Marion High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Francis Marion Intermediate School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Starry Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Longfellow Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Marion High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar high schools in Marion
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~735 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Marion High School's federal record.
- Compare Marion High School 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 Marion High School
How many students attend Marion High School?
Marion High School has 735 students enrolled. It is a high school in Marion, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Marion High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Marion High School is 17.1:1, which is 16% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Marion High School?
24.4% of students at Marion High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marion High School?
The largest demographic group at Marion High School is White at 82.3% of enrollment, in Marion, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marion High School?
Marion High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Marion High School rank among public schools in Marion?
By Resource Investment Index, Marion High School ranks #8 of 15 public 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 public schools in Marion on the city page.
Is Marion High School a good school?
Marion High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% 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 Marion Independent School District?
Besides Marion High School, Marion Independent School District also operates Vernon Middle School (587 students), Francis Marion Intermediate School (320 students), and Starry Elementary School (267 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.