Other / mixed grade configuration · Sioux City, IA

Morningside Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Morningside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192640002220
0/100100/10042/100
👥 S:T ratio
44
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Morningside Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.

#5 of 11
schools in Sioux City · Resource Index
42
Resource Index · Typical
14:1
students per teacher
58.3%
free-lunch eligible

Morningside Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Morningside Elementary ranks #5 of 11 schools in Sioux City, IA.

Enrollment

645

Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

46.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14:1

vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg

-5% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

58.3%

vs 36.4% Iowa avg

+60% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Morningside Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians

At or below state median

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

What stands out at Morningside Elementary

Morningside Elementary is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Sioux City, Iowa, enrolling 645 students.

At 14:1, 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 is high: 58.3% of students qualify for free meals, 60% above the Iowa average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 90% of state schools at 645 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.

Against 100 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #33.

Its student body is led by White (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 645 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

Discipline events run high: 130 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 645 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Sioux City's public schools, it stands alongside Spalding Park Elementary (683 students): Morningside Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14:1 vs 12.9:1).

Sioux City Comm School District also operates North High School (1,529 students) and East High School (1,495 students) alongside Morningside Elementary.

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 Morningside Elementary compares

Morningside Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Iowa Iowa avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 14:1 ▼ 5% 14.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 58.3% ▲ 60% 36.4% 51.7%
Enrollment 645 top 10% - -

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

14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
645
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
58.3%
free-lunch eligible - 60% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher - 5% below state mean
Top 50% in Iowa - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,941
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 645 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
84
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.2 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 49.0%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
African American 12.2%
Two or More 6.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian 0.6%

Largest group: White at 49.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 66.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, Morningside Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sioux City Comm School District, which includes Morningside Elementary.

$11,941
Per student
-7%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.0%
State 66.5%
Federal 14.5%

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 Morningside Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
North High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
East High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
West High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
North Middle School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
East Middle School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Morningside Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Sioux City Comm School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Sioux City

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Morningside Elementary's federal record.

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 Morningside Elementary

How many students attend Morningside Elementary?

Morningside Elementary has 645 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sioux City, IA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Morningside Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Morningside Elementary is 14:1, which is 5% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 11% 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 Morningside Elementary?

58.3% of students at Morningside Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Morningside Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Morningside Elementary is White at 49.0% of enrollment, in Sioux City, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Morningside Elementary?

Morningside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Morningside Elementary rank among schools in Sioux City?

By Resource Investment Index, Morningside Elementary ranks #5 of 11 schools in Sioux City, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sioux City on the city page.

Is Morningside Elementary a good school?

Morningside Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also more 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 Sioux City Comm School District?

Besides Morningside Elementary, Sioux City Comm School District also operates North High School (1,529 students), East High School (1,495 students), and West High School (1,308 students). See the Sioux City Comm School District district page for the complete list.

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

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.