Enrollment
504
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 192091002095
North Polk Middle School — Alleman, IA
Federal NCES profile for North Polk Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 64
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 Polk 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Polk Middle School 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 Polk Middle School reports 504 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 7.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 81% below the Iowa average and 86% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 336 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding North Polk Comm School District spends $20,014 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.6% from local sources (property taxes), 53.4% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Polk Middle School 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 17% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.0% | ▼ 81% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 504 | top 81% | — | — |
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
7.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 81% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 88% in Iowa — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.5%
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
$20,014
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 336 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 504 Top 81% in Iowa — larger than 19% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 7.0% -81% vs state
NCES ID 192091002095
Student demographics
White 93.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
Two or More 2.0%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 93.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 336:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.5%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Polk Comm School District, which includes North Polk Middle School.
$20,014
Per student
+16%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.6%
State 53.4%
Federal 6.9%
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
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
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 Polk Middle School
How many students attend North Polk Middle School?
North Polk Middle School has 504 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Alleman, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Polk Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at North Polk Middle School is 17.5:1, which is 17% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Polk Middle School?
7.0% of students at North Polk Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Polk Middle School?
The largest demographic group at North Polk Middle School is White at 93.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Alleman, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Polk Middle School?
North Polk Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.