Enrollment
168
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lowden, IA
North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center
Federal NCES profile for North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191710001947
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 34.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 168
- students enrolled
North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: North Cedar Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191710001947 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center
North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Lowden, Iowa, enrolling 168 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.8% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 168 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 265 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #138.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 12/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
North Cedar Comm School District also operates North Cedar Jr/Sr High School (243 students) and North Cedar Mechanicsville Elem Ctr (139 students) alongside North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center.
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 North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center compares
North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center 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 | 34.8% | ▼ 4% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 168 | top 83% | - | - |
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.
168
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
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
23.2%
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
$14,715
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Somewhat 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
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 94.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
Two or More 2.4%
Largest group: White at 94.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.5, North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Cedar Comm School District, which includes North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center.
$14,715
Per student
+14%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 42.5%
Federal 8.9%
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.
How North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Cedar Jr/Sr High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Cedar Mechanicsville Elem Ctr | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 139
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~168 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center's federal record.
- Compare North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center against another school. Compare schools
- North Cedar 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 North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center
How many students attend North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center?
North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center has 168 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lowden, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center?
The student-teacher ratio at North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center 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 North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center?
34.8% of students at North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center?
The largest demographic group at North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center is White at 94.0% of enrollment, in Lowden, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center?
North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center a good school?
North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center earns 52/100 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 North Cedar Comm School District?
Besides North Cedar Lowden Elementary Center, North Cedar Comm School District also operates North Cedar Jr/Sr High School (243 students) and North Cedar Mechanicsville Elem Ctr (139 students). See the North Cedar 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.