Enrollment
287
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Northwood, IA
Northwood-Kensett Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Northwood-Kensett Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192121001270
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwood-Kensett Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 26.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 287
- students enrolled
Northwood-Kensett Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Northwood-Kensett Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192121001270 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwood-Kensett Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwood-Kensett Elementary
Northwood-Kensett Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Northwood, Iowa, enrolling 287 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 26.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 287 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 427 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #113.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 287 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Northwood's public schools, it stands alongside Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School (265 students): Northwood-Kensett Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.3:1 vs 12.6:1).
Its district, Northwood-Kensett Comm School District, also runs Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School (265 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 Northwood-Kensett Elementary compares
Northwood-Kensett 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.2% | ▼ 28% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 287 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
287
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 56% in Iowa - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.6%
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
$12,122
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 287 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 91.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 2.4%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 91.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.3, Northwood-Kensett Elementary is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwood-Kensett Comm School District, which includes Northwood-Kensett Elementary.
$12,122
Per student
-6%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.2%
State 40.1%
Federal 8.6%
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 Northwood-Kensett Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwood-Kensett Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools in Northwood
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 (~287 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwood-Kensett Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Northwood-Kensett Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Northwood-Kensett 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 Northwood-Kensett Elementary
How many students attend Northwood-Kensett Elementary?
Northwood-Kensett Elementary has 287 students enrolled. It is a public school in Northwood, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwood-Kensett Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwood-Kensett Elementary is 14.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 9% 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 Northwood-Kensett Elementary?
26.2% of students at Northwood-Kensett Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwood-Kensett Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Northwood-Kensett Elementary is White at 91.3% of enrollment, in Northwood, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwood-Kensett Elementary?
Northwood-Kensett Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Northwood-Kensett Elementary a good school?
Northwood-Kensett Elementary earns 55/100 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 Northwood-Kensett Comm School District?
Besides Northwood-Kensett Elementary, Northwood-Kensett Comm School District also operates Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School (265 students). See the Northwood-Kensett 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.