2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 191977001161

Morning Sun Elementary School — Morning Sun, IA

Federal NCES profile for Morning Sun Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.

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0/100100/10060/100
👥 Class size
50
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
60
📋 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 →

The verdict

Morning Sun Elementary School earns a C+ Resource Investment Index (60/100), with class sizes smaller than 77% of Iowa schools.

C+
Resource Index · 60/100
12.4:1
small classes for Iowa
31.5%
free-lunch eligible
119
students enrolled

School address

Morning Sun, IA 52640
District: Morning Sun 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.

Enrollment

119

Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

10.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12.4:1

vs 15:1 Iowa avg

-17% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

31.5%

vs 36.4% Iowa avg

-13% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Morning Sun Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median
0:135:112.4:1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

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

Morning Sun Elementary School reports 119 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 15.7:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.

Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Iowa average and 39% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 198 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

On the finance side, the surrounding Morning Sun Comm School District spends $14,344 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $12,854 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 43.4% from local sources (property taxes), 46.8% from the state, and 9.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), 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 Morning Sun 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 12.4:1 ▼ 17% 15:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 31.5% ▼ 13% 36.4% 51.8%
Enrollment 119 top 10% — —

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

Class size vs. every US school

Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)

12 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 75% of 92,598 US schools

0–2: 295 US schools (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 597 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 1,033 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 1,939 US schools (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 4,805 US schools (5%). Below this entry. 10–12: 11,082 US schools (12%). Below this entry. 12–14: 16,971 US schools (18%). This entry sits in this band. 14–16: 18,959 US schools (20%). Above this entry. 16–18: 13,660 US schools (15%). Above this entry. 18–20: 8,300 US schools (9%). Above this entry. 20–22: 5,448 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 22–24: 4,007 US schools (4%). Above this entry. 24–26: 2,663 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 26–28: 1,131 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 28–30: 504 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 30–32: 307 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 32–34: 189 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 34–36: 141 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 36–38: 93 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 38–40: 94 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 40–42: 59 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 42–44: 46 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 44–46: 56 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 46–48: 58 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 48–50: 34 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 50–52: 37 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 52–54: 30 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 54–56: 15 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 56–58: 25 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 58–60: 20 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 60 every US school, by class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

School size vs. every US school

Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')

119 larger than 12% of 95,891 US schools

0–150: 14,035 US schools (15%). This entry sits in this band. 150–300: 16,928 US schools (18%). Above this entry. 300–450: 21,633 US schools (23%). Above this entry. 450–600: 17,006 US schools (18%). Above this entry. 600–750: 10,042 US schools (10%). Above this entry. 750–900: 5,568 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 900–1,050: 3,006 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 1,050–1,200: 1,826 US schools (2%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,350: 1,220 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,350–1,500: 908 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,500–1,650: 692 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,650–1,800: 607 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,800–1,950: 502 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,950–2,100: 432 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,100–2,250: 346 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,250–2,400: 252 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,400–2,550: 203 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,550–2,700: 163 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,700–2,850: 115 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,850–3,000: 85 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 3,000 every US school, by enrollment, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
31.5%
free-lunch eligible — 13% 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
12.4:1
students per teacher — 17% below state mean
Top 23% in Iowa — lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.8%
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
$14,344
per pupil, district-wide — above Iowa avg of $12,854
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.6 FTE
Per 198 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

Enrollment 119 Top 10% in Iowa — larger than 90% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 12.4:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.5% -13% vs state
NCES ID 191977001161

Student demographics

White 98.3%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%

Largest group: White at 98.3% of enrollment.

Programs & staff

Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.6
Students per counselor 198:1

Discipline & special education

Chronically absent 16.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Morning Sun Comm School District, which includes Morning Sun Elementary School.

$14,344
Per student
+12%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.4%
State 46.8%
Federal 9.7%

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.

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.

Before you act on this record

Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.

  • Compare Morning Sun Elementary School side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
  • Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
  • Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide

Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.

Frequently asked questions about Morning Sun Elementary School

How many students attend Morning Sun Elementary School?

Morning Sun Elementary School has 119 students enrolled. It is a other school in Morning Sun, IA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Morning Sun Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Morning Sun Elementary School is 12.4:1, which is 17% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 21% 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 Morning Sun Elementary School?

31.5% of students at Morning Sun Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Morning Sun Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Morning Sun Elementary School is White at 98.3%. The school serves a student body in Morning Sun, IA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Morning Sun Elementary School?

Morning Sun Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) 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.

Is Morning Sun Elementary School a good school?

Morning Sun Elementary School earns a C+ Resource Investment Index (60/100), with class sizes smaller than 77% of Iowa schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.

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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type — administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) — universe of U.S. public schools and districts. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — discipline, absenteeism, and AP-course participation. ocrdata.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey — per-pupil expenditure and revenue sources. nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency
  • USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. fns.usda.gov/nslp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS — demographic and socioeconomic context for school catchment areas. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • U.S. Department of Education ESSA Title I — federal Title I program participation. ed.gov