Enrollment
124
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 192058000713
Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. — Newell, IA
Federal NCES profile for Newell-Fonda Middle Sch., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 26
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 →
School address
District: Newell-Fonda 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.
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
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
Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. reports 124 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 37% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 29% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% below the Iowa average and 34% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Newell-Fonda Comm School District spends $15,228 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 53.0% from local sources (property taxes), 35.1% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. 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 | 20.5:1 | ▲ 37% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.1% | ▼ 6% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 124 | top 10% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
34.1%
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
20.5:1
students per teacher
— 37% above state mean
Top 95% in Iowa — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
29.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,228
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 124 Top 10% in Iowa — larger than 90% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 6.0
Students per teacher 20.5:1 +37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.1% -6% vs state
NCES ID 192058000713
Student demographics
White 79.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.0%
Two or More 4.0%
Largest group: White at 79.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.8%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newell-Fonda Comm School District, which includes Newell-Fonda Middle Sch..
$15,228
Per student
-12%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 53.0%
State 35.1%
Federal 11.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 138
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
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.
Frequently asked questions about Newell-Fonda Middle Sch.
How many students attend Newell-Fonda Middle Sch.?
Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. has 124 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Newell, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Newell-Fonda Middle Sch.?
The student-teacher ratio at Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. is 20.5:1, which is 37% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 29% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Newell-Fonda Middle Sch.?
34.1% of students at Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Newell-Fonda Middle Sch.?
The largest demographic group at Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. is White at 79.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Newell, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Newell-Fonda Middle Sch.?
Newell-Fonda Middle Sch. has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.