Enrollment
280
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mount Ayr, IA
Mount Ayr Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mount Ayr Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191986001166
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mount Ayr Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Iowa schools.
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 34.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 280
- students enrolled
Mount Ayr Elementary has class sizes smaller than 86% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mount Ayr Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191986001166 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mount Ayr Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mount Ayr Elementary
Mount Ayr Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Mount Ayr, Iowa, enrolling 280 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.2:1, Mount Ayr Elementary is leaner than roughly 86% of Iowa schools and 24% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.2% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 280 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 444 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #35, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 280 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
11.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Mount Ayr's public schools, it stands alongside Mount Ayr High School (304 students): Mount Ayr Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.2:1 vs 15.2:1).
Its district, Mount Ayr Comm School District, also runs Mount Ayr High School (304 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 Mount Ayr Elementary compares
Mount Ayr 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.2% | ▼ 6% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 14% in Iowa - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,002
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 280 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 91.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 1.4%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 91.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.4, Mount Ayr Elementary is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mount Ayr Comm School District, which includes Mount Ayr Elementary.
$13,002
Per student
+1%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.2%
State 36.4%
Federal 13.4%
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 Mount Ayr Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Ayr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mount Ayr Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Mount Ayr
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~280 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mount Ayr Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mount Ayr Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mount Ayr 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 Mount Ayr Elementary
How many students attend Mount Ayr Elementary?
Mount Ayr Elementary has 280 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mount Ayr, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mount Ayr Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mount Ayr Elementary is 11.2:1, which is 24% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 29% 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 Mount Ayr Elementary?
34.2% of students at Mount Ayr Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mount Ayr Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mount Ayr Elementary is White at 91.8% of enrollment, in Mount Ayr, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mount Ayr Elementary?
Mount Ayr Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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).
Is Mount Ayr Elementary a good school?
Mount Ayr Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of 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 Mount Ayr Comm School District?
Besides Mount Ayr Elementary, Mount Ayr Comm School District also operates Mount Ayr High School (304 students). See the Mount Ayr 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.