Enrollment
1,574
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waukee, IA
Northwest High School
Federal NCES profile for Northwest High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 193051002303
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwest High School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the largest schools in Iowa.
- #5 of 10
- public schools in Waukee · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,574
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Northwest High School ranks #5 of 10 public schools in Waukee, IA.
School address
District: Waukee Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 193051002303 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
11.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-70% vs state
What stands out at Northwest High School
Northwest High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Waukee, Iowa, enrolling 1,574 students.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.1% free-meal eligibility runs 70% below the Iowa average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 99% of state schools at 1,574 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 19 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #4.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (7%) (diversity index 41/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 394 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Waukee's high schools, it stands alongside Waukee High School (1,375 students): Northwest High School is larger than that campus by headcount.
Waukee Comm School District also operates Waukee High School (1,375 students) and South Middle School (1,092 students) alongside Northwest High School.
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 Northwest High School compares
Northwest High School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.1% | ▼ 70% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,574 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
1,574
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 70% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Engagement
23.4%
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
$11,578
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 394 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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 76.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
African American 5.8%
Asian 5.8%
Two or More 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 76.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.5, Northwest High School is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waukee Comm School District, which includes Northwest High School.
$11,578
Per student
-10%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.3%
State 44.6%
Federal 6.1%
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 Northwest High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waukee High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| South Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Timberline School | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Waukee Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Walnut Hills Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Northwest High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,375
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,092
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 992
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar high schools in Waukee
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwest High School's federal record.
- Compare Northwest High School against another school. Compare schools
- Waukee 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 Northwest High School
How many students attend Northwest High School?
Northwest High School has 1,574 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waukee, IA.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwest High School?
11.1% of students at Northwest High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwest High School?
The largest demographic group at Northwest High School is White at 76.2% of enrollment, in Waukee, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwest High School?
Northwest High School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Northwest High School rank among public schools in Waukee?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwest High School ranks #5 of 10 public schools in Waukee, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Waukee on the city page.
Is Northwest High School a good school?
Northwest High School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the largest schools in Iowa. 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 Waukee Comm School District?
Besides Northwest High School, Waukee Comm School District also operates Waukee High School (1,375 students), South Middle School (1,092 students), and Timberline School (992 students). See the Waukee 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.