Enrollment
151
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 191896001122
Melcher-Dallas High School — Melcher, IA
Federal NCES profile for Melcher-Dallas High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 1
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: Melcher-Dallas 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 15:1 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
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
Melcher-Dallas High School reports 151 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% below the Iowa average and 39% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 39.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Melcher-Dallas Comm School District spends $17,721 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.9% from local sources (property taxes), 44.7% from the state, and 9.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Melcher-Dallas High 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 27% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.4% | ▼ 14% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 151 | top 15% | — | — |
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
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
10.9:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 8% in Iowa — lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
39.7%
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
$17,721
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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
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
Enrollment 151 Top 15% in Iowa — larger than 85% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 10.9:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.4% -14% vs state
NCES ID 191896001122
Student demographics
White 96.7%
African American 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
Largest group: White at 96.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 39.7%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Melcher-Dallas Comm School District, which includes Melcher-Dallas High School.
$17,721
Per student
+3%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 157
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
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 Melcher-Dallas High School
How many students attend Melcher-Dallas High School?
Melcher-Dallas High School has 151 students enrolled. It is a other 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 10.9:1, which is 27% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 31% 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 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%. The school serves a student body in Melcher, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Melcher-Dallas High School?
Melcher-Dallas High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.