Enrollment
604
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Williamsburg, IA
Mary Welsh Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mary Welsh Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 193168000611
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mary Welsh Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Williamsburg · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 21.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Mary Welsh Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mary Welsh Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Williamsburg, IA.
School address
District: Williamsburg Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 193168000611 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Welsh Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mary Welsh Elementary
Mary Welsh Elementary is a large combined-grade school in Williamsburg, Iowa, enrolling 604 students.
At 13.7:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 21.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 604 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 232 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #58.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 302 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Williamsburg's public schools, it stands alongside Williamsburg Jr-Sr High School (604 students): Mary Welsh Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.7:1 vs 13.1:1).
Williamsburg Comm School District also operates Williamsburg Jr-Sr High School (604 students) and Williamsburg Virtual Academy (5 students) alongside Mary Welsh 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 Mary Welsh Elementary compares
Mary Welsh 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.5% | ▼ 41% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 604 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
604
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.5%
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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 45% in Iowa - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$12,066
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 302 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 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 84.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 1.8%
African American 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 84.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.0, Mary Welsh Elementary is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Williamsburg Comm School District, which includes Mary Welsh Elementary.
$12,066
Per student
-6%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 48.2%
Federal 9.1%
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 Mary Welsh Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg Jr-Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Williamsburg Virtual Academy | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Mary Welsh Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 5
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 60/100
Similar other schools in Williamsburg
2 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 (~604 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mary Welsh Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mary Welsh Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Williamsburg 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 Mary Welsh Elementary
How many students attend Mary Welsh Elementary?
Mary Welsh Elementary has 604 students enrolled. It is a public school in Williamsburg, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Welsh Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Welsh Elementary is 13.7:1, which is 7% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 13% 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 Mary Welsh Elementary?
21.5% of students at Mary Welsh Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Welsh Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mary Welsh Elementary is White at 84.9% of enrollment, in Williamsburg, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Welsh Elementary?
Mary Welsh Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Mary Welsh Elementary rank among schools in Williamsburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Mary Welsh Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Williamsburg, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Williamsburg on the city page.
Is Mary Welsh Elementary a good school?
Mary Welsh Elementary earns 49/100 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 Williamsburg Comm School District?
Besides Mary Welsh Elementary, Williamsburg Comm School District also operates Williamsburg Jr-Sr High School (604 students) and Williamsburg Virtual Academy (5 students). See the Williamsburg 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.