Enrollment
151
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Melcher, IA
Melcher-Dallas High School
Federal NCES profile for Melcher-Dallas High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191896001122
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Melcher-Dallas High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Iowa schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.8:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 31.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 151
- students enrolled
Melcher-Dallas High School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Melcher-Dallas Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191896001122 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Melcher-Dallas High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Melcher-Dallas High School
Melcher-Dallas High School is a small combined-grade school in Melcher, Iowa, enrolling 151 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.8:1, Melcher-Dallas High School is leaner than roughly 88% of Iowa schools and 27% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 31.4% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 151 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 224 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #188, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Melcher-Dallas Comm School District, also runs Melcher-Dallas Elem (157 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 High School compares
Melcher-Dallas 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 | 10.8:1 | ▼ 27% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.4% | ▼ 14% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 151 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.8:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
151
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
10.8:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 12% in Iowa - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.7%
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
$12,568
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
7
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 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 96.7%
African American 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
Largest group: White at 96.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.4, Melcher-Dallas High School 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 High School.
$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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melcher-Dallas Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Melcher-Dallas High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 157
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~151 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Melcher-Dallas High School's federal record.
- Compare Melcher-Dallas High School 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 High School
How many students attend Melcher-Dallas High School?
Melcher-Dallas High School has 151 students enrolled. It is a public school in Melcher, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Melcher-Dallas High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Melcher-Dallas High School is 10.8:1, which is 27% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 31% 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 High School?
31.4% of students at Melcher-Dallas High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Melcher-Dallas High School?
The largest demographic group at Melcher-Dallas High School is White at 96.7% of enrollment, in Melcher, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Melcher-Dallas High School?
Melcher-Dallas High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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 High School a good school?
Melcher-Dallas High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Iowa schools. 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 High School, Melcher-Dallas Comm School District also operates Melcher-Dallas Elem (157 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.