Enrollment
244
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 190354001906
Northwood Pre-School — Ames, IA
Federal NCES profile for Northwood Pre-School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 8
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 92
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Ames Comm School District · Iowa
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.1:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+54% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwood Pre-School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Northwood Pre-School reports 244 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 54% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 45% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% below the Iowa average and 47% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ames Comm School District spends $22,143 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.7% from local sources (property taxes), 34.6% from the state, and 7.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Northwood Pre-School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.1:1 | ▲ 54% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.6% | ▼ 24% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 244 | top 34% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
27.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
23.1:1
students per teacher
— 54% above state mean
Top 96% in Iowa — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
3.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$22,143
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 244 Top 34% in Iowa — larger than 66% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 23.1:1 +54% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.6% -24% vs state
NCES ID 190354001906
Student demographics
White 57.8%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
African American 12.7%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 6.6%
Largest group: White at 57.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ames Comm School District, which includes Northwood Pre-School.
$22,143
Per student
+29%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.7%
State 34.6%
Federal 7.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,440
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,033
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 371
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Northwood Pre-School
How many students attend Northwood Pre-School?
Northwood Pre-School has 244 students enrolled. It is a other school in Ames, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwood Pre-School?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwood Pre-School is 23.1:1, which is 54% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwood Pre-School?
27.6% of students at Northwood Pre-School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwood Pre-School?
The largest demographic group at Northwood Pre-School is White at 57.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ames, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwood Pre-School?
Northwood Pre-School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.