Enrollment
165
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Murray, IA
Murray Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Murray Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192010001180
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Murray Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Iowa schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.6:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 36.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 165
- students enrolled
Murray Elementary School has class sizes larger than 94% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Murray Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192010001180 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Murray Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Murray Elementary School
Murray Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Murray, Iowa, enrolling 165 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.6:1 is larger than about 94% of Iowa schools and 39% above the 14.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 36.5% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 165 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 251 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #229, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Murray's public schools, it stands alongside Murray Jr/Sr High (145 students): Murray Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20.6:1 vs 12.1:1).
Its district, Murray Comm School District, also runs Murray Jr/Sr High (145 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 Murray Elementary School compares
Murray Elementary 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 | 20.6:1 | ▲ 39% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.5% | ▲ 0% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 165 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
165
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
20.6:1
students per teacher
- 39% above state mean
Top 94% in Iowa - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
9.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,716
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 97.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
Two or More 1.2%
Largest group: White at 97.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.9, Murray Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murray Comm School District, which includes Murray Elementary School.
$11,716
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.5%
State 45.6%
Federal 12.8%
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 Murray Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray Jr/Sr High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Murray Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 145
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools in Murray
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 (~165 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Murray Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Murray Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Murray 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 Murray Elementary School
How many students attend Murray Elementary School?
Murray Elementary School has 165 students enrolled. It is a public school in Murray, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Murray Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Murray Elementary School is 20.6:1, which is 39% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Murray Elementary School?
36.5% of students at Murray Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Murray Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Murray Elementary School is White at 97.0% of enrollment, in Murray, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Murray Elementary School?
Murray Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Murray Elementary School a good school?
Murray Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Iowa schools. It is also less 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 Murray Comm School District?
Besides Murray Elementary School, Murray Comm School District also operates Murray Jr/Sr High (145 students). See the Murray 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.