Enrollment
157
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dallas, IA
Melcher-Dallas Elem
Federal NCES profile for Melcher-Dallas Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191896001121
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Melcher-Dallas Elem earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 25.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 157
- students enrolled
Melcher-Dallas Elem has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Melcher-Dallas Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191896001121 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Melcher-Dallas Elem compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Melcher-Dallas Elem
Melcher-Dallas Elem is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Dallas, Iowa, enrolling 157 students.
At 14.3:1, 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 25.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 157 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 214 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #87.
Its student body is predominantly White (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, Melcher-Dallas Comm School District, also runs Melcher-Dallas High School (151 students).
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 Melcher-Dallas Elem compares
Melcher-Dallas Elem on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.4% | ▼ 30% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 157 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
157
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 56% in Iowa - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,568
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 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 97.5%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 97.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.9, Melcher-Dallas Elem is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Melcher-Dallas Comm School District, which includes Melcher-Dallas Elem.
$12,568
Per student
-2%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.9%
State 44.7%
Federal 9.4%
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 Melcher-Dallas Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melcher-Dallas High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Melcher-Dallas Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 151
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~157 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Melcher-Dallas Elem's federal record.
- Compare Melcher-Dallas Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Melcher-Dallas 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 Melcher-Dallas Elem
How many students attend Melcher-Dallas Elem?
Melcher-Dallas Elem has 157 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dallas, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Melcher-Dallas Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Melcher-Dallas Elem is 14.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 9% 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 Melcher-Dallas Elem?
25.4% of students at Melcher-Dallas Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Melcher-Dallas Elem?
The largest demographic group at Melcher-Dallas Elem is White at 97.5% of enrollment, in Dallas, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Melcher-Dallas Elem?
Melcher-Dallas Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Melcher-Dallas Elem a good school?
Melcher-Dallas Elem earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Melcher-Dallas Comm School District?
Besides Melcher-Dallas Elem, Melcher-Dallas Comm School District also operates Melcher-Dallas High School (151 students). See the Melcher-Dallas 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.