Enrollment
227
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 190575000176
North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center — Buffalo Center, IA
Federal NCES profile for North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 21
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 71
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: North Iowa 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.7:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center 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
North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center reports 227 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% 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 24% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Iowa average and 34% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 227 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding North Iowa Comm School District spends $18,164 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 53.8% from local sources (property taxes), 29.9% from the state, and 16.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 4 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 North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center 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 | 19.7:1 | ▲ 31% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.0% | ▼ 7% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 227 | top 30% | — | — |
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
34.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
19.7:1
students per teacher
— 31% above state mean
Top 93% in Iowa — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$18,164
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 227 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 227 Top 30% in Iowa — larger than 70% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 19.7:1 +31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.0% -7% vs state
NCES ID 190575000176
Student demographics
White 85.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 1.3%
Largest group: White at 85.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 227:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.5%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Iowa Comm School District, which includes North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center.
$18,164
Per student
+6%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 53.8%
State 29.9%
Federal 16.3%
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
- 124
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 115
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
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 North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center
How many students attend North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center?
North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center has 227 students enrolled. It is a other school in Buffalo Center, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center?
The student-teacher ratio at North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center is 19.7:1, which is 31% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center?
34.0% of students at North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center?
The largest demographic group at North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center is White at 85.9%. The school serves a student body in Buffalo Center, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center?
North Iowa Elem Buffalo Center has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.