Enrollment
304
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mount Ayr, IA
Mount Ayr High School
Federal NCES profile for Mount Ayr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191986001167
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mount Ayr High School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 37.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 304
- students enrolled
Mount Ayr High School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mount Ayr Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191986001167 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mount Ayr High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mount Ayr High School
Mount Ayr High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Mount Ayr, Iowa, enrolling 304 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 37.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 304 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 435 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #298.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 310 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Mount Ayr's public schools, it stands alongside Mount Ayr Elementary (280 students): Mount Ayr High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.2:1 vs 11.2:1).
Its district, Mount Ayr Comm School District, also runs Mount Ayr Elementary (280 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 High School compares
Mount Ayr 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.4% | ▲ 3% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 304 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
304
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 68% in Iowa - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.6%
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
$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
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 91.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 1.3%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 91.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.2, Mount Ayr 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 Mount Ayr Comm School District, which includes Mount Ayr High School.
$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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Ayr Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mount Ayr High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
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 (~304 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mount Ayr High School's federal record.
- Compare Mount Ayr High School 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 High School
How many students attend Mount Ayr High School?
Mount Ayr High School has 304 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mount Ayr, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mount Ayr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mount Ayr High School is 15.2:1, which is 3% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mount Ayr High School?
37.4% of students at Mount Ayr High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mount Ayr High School?
The largest demographic group at Mount Ayr High School is White at 91.4% of enrollment, in Mount Ayr, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mount Ayr High School?
Mount Ayr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
Is Mount Ayr High School a good school?
Mount Ayr High School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. 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 High School, Mount Ayr Comm School District also operates Mount Ayr Elementary (280 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.