Enrollment
222
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 191893001119
Mediapolis Middle School — Mediapolis, IA
Federal NCES profile for Mediapolis Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 58
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Mediapolis Comm School District · Iowa
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28.4:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+89% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mediapolis Middle School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Mediapolis Middle School reports 222 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 28.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 89% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 79% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% below the Iowa average and 50% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mediapolis Comm School District spends $12,694 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.8% from local sources (property taxes), 46.3% from the state, and 9.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Mediapolis Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 28.4:1 | ▲ 89% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.0% | ▼ 29% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 222 | top 29% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
26.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% 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
28.4:1
students per teacher
— 89% above state mean
Top 98% in Iowa — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,694
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 222 Top 29% in Iowa — larger than 71% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 28.4:1 +89% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.0% -29% vs state
NCES ID 191893001119
Student demographics
White 93.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Two or More 2.7%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 93.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.7%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mediapolis Comm School District, which includes Mediapolis Middle School.
$12,694
Per student
-26%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.8%
State 46.3%
Federal 9.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Mediapolis Middle School
How many students attend Mediapolis Middle School?
Mediapolis Middle School has 222 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mediapolis, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mediapolis Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mediapolis Middle School is 28.4:1, which is 89% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 79% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mediapolis Middle School?
26.0% of students at Mediapolis Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mediapolis Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Mediapolis Middle School is White at 93.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mediapolis, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mediapolis Middle School?
Mediapolis Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.