Enrollment
361
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 190354000056
Meeker Elementary School — Ames, IA
Federal NCES profile for Meeker Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 36
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: Ames 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meeker Elementary 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
Meeker Elementary School reports 361 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% below the Iowa average and 41% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 181 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ames Comm School District spends $22,143 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.7% from local sources (property taxes), 34.6% from the state, and 7.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Meeker Elementary 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 19% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.8% | ▼ 15% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 61% | — | — |
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
30.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 19% in Iowa — lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,143
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 181 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 361 Top 61% in Iowa — larger than 39% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.8% -15% vs state
NCES ID 190354000056
Student demographics
White 70.5%
Two or More 12.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
African American 5.3%
Asian 2.5%
Largest group: White at 70.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 181:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.5%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ames Comm School District, which includes Meeker Elementary School.
$22,143
Per student
+29%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.7%
State 34.6%
Federal 7.8%
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
- 1,440
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,033
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 371
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Ames
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Fellows Elementary School
Standard public school
489 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Edwards Elementary School
Standard public school
436 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Sawyer Elementary School
Standard public school
371 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Mitchell Elementary School
Standard public school
314 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
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 Meeker Elementary School
How many students attend Meeker Elementary School?
Meeker Elementary School has 361 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Ames, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meeker Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Meeker Elementary School is 12.1:1, which is 19% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meeker Elementary School?
30.8% of students at Meeker Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meeker Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Meeker Elementary School is White at 70.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ames, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meeker Elementary School?
Meeker Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.