Enrollment
265
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Northwood, IA
Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School
Federal NCES profile for Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192121001271
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Iowa schools.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 31.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 265
- students enrolled
Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School has class sizes smaller than 70% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Northwood-Kensett Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192121001271 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School
Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Northwood, Iowa, enrolling 265 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 31.9% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 265 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 457 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #199.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 353 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.2% 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 Elementary (287 students): Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 14.3:1).
Its district, Northwood-Kensett Comm School District, also runs Northwood-Kensett Elementary (287 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 Middle/High School compares
Northwood-Kensett Middle/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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.9% | ▼ 12% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 265 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
265
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 30% in Iowa - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 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 86.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
African American 3.0%
Two or More 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 86.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.0, Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwood-Kensett Comm School District, which includes Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School.
$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 Middle/High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwood-Kensett Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 287
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~265 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School's federal record.
- Compare Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School 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 Middle/High School
How many students attend Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School?
Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School has 265 students enrolled. It is a public school in Northwood, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School is 12.6:1, which is 15% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 20% 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 Middle/High School?
31.9% of students at Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School?
The largest demographic group at Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School is White at 86.8% of enrollment, in Northwood, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School?
Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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).
Is Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School a good school?
Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Northwood-Kensett Comm School District?
Besides Northwood-Kensett Middle/High School, Northwood-Kensett Comm School District also operates Northwood-Kensett Elementary (287 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.