Enrollment
170
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Armstrong, IA
North Union High School
Federal NCES profile for North Union High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 190385001899
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
North Union High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Iowa schools.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.1:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 39.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 170
- students enrolled
North Union High School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: North Union Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190385001899 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Union High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at North Union High School
North Union High School is a mid-sized high school in Armstrong, Iowa, enrolling 170 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 39.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 170 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 240 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #167.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 170 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, North Union Comm School District, also runs North Union Elementary (130 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 Union High School compares
North Union High School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.1:1 | ▼ 18% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▲ 8% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 170 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
170
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 24% in Iowa - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.0%
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
$14,475
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 170 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.6 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 88.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 88.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.7, North Union High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Union Comm School District, which includes North Union High School.
$14,475
Per student
+13%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.0%
State 31.7%
Federal 8.2%
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 Union High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Union Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to North Union High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 130
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar high 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 (~170 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on North Union High School's federal record.
- Compare North Union High School against another school. Compare schools
- North Union 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 Union High School
How many students attend North Union High School?
North Union High School has 170 students enrolled. It is a high school in Armstrong, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Union High School?
The student-teacher ratio at North Union High School is 12.1:1, which is 18% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 23% 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 Union High School?
39.2% of students at North Union High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Union High School?
The largest demographic group at North Union High School is White at 88.2% of enrollment, in Armstrong, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Union High School?
North Union High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is North Union High School a good school?
North Union High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Iowa schools. 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 Union Comm School District?
Besides North Union High School, North Union Comm School District also operates North Union Elementary (130 students). See the North Union 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.