Enrollment
1,035
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 192124001275
Norwalk Senior High School — Norwalk, IA
Federal NCES profile for Norwalk Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 32
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 34
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: Norwalk 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)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Norwalk Senior High 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
Norwalk Senior High School reports 1,035 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 61.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 16.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the Iowa average and 69% below the national baseline. The school offers 14 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 319 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Norwalk Comm School District spends $16,901 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.1% from local sources (property taxes), 57.0% from the state, and 8.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Norwalk Senior High 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 13% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.1% | ▼ 56% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,035 | top 96% | — | — |
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
16.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
17:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 85% in Iowa — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,901
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.3 FTE
Per 318 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 74 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,035 Top 96% in Iowa — larger than 4% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 61.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 16.1% -56% vs state
NCES ID 192124001275
Student demographics
White 87.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 1.7%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 87.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.3
Students per counselor 319:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.5%
In-school suspensions 20
Out-of-school suspensions 74
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Norwalk Comm School District, which includes Norwalk Senior High School.
$16,901
Per student
-2%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.1%
State 57.0%
Federal 8.0%
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
- 824
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 558
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 554
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
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 Norwalk Senior High School
How many students attend Norwalk Senior High School?
Norwalk Senior High School has 1,035 students enrolled. It is a high school in Norwalk, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Norwalk Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Norwalk Senior High School is 17:1, which is 13% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Norwalk Senior High School?
16.1% of students at Norwalk Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Norwalk Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Norwalk Senior High School is White at 87.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Norwalk, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Norwalk Senior High School?
Norwalk Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.