Enrollment
276
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Traer, IA
North Tama Elementary
Federal NCES profile for North Tama Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192100001260
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
North Tama Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 33.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 276
- students enrolled
North Tama Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: North Tama County Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192100001260 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Tama Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at North Tama Elementary
North Tama Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Traer, Iowa, enrolling 276 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 33.0% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 276 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 453 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #302.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 690 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Traer's public schools, it stands alongside North Tama High School (203 students): North Tama Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.1:1 vs 9.7:1).
Its district, North Tama County Comm School District, also runs North Tama High School (203 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 North Tama Elementary compares
North Tama Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.0% | ▼ 9% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 276 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
276
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 37% in Iowa - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,889
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 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 94.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
Two or More 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 94.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.1, North Tama Elementary is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Tama County Comm School District, which includes North Tama Elementary.
$12,889
Per student
+0%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.8%
State 46.3%
Federal 10.9%
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 Tama Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Tama High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to North Tama Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 203
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar other schools in Traer
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 (~276 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on North Tama Elementary's federal record.
- Compare North Tama Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- North Tama County 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 Tama Elementary
How many students attend North Tama Elementary?
North Tama Elementary has 276 students enrolled. It is a public school in Traer, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Tama Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at North Tama Elementary is 13.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 17% 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 Tama Elementary?
33.0% of students at North Tama Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Tama Elementary?
The largest demographic group at North Tama Elementary is White at 94.2% of enrollment, in Traer, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Tama Elementary?
North Tama Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is North Tama Elementary a good school?
North Tama Elementary earns 47/100 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 Tama County Comm School District?
Besides North Tama Elementary, North Tama County Comm School District also operates North Tama High School (203 students). See the North Tama County 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.