Enrollment
558
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Norwalk, IA
Orchard Hills Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Orchard Hills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 192124002279
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orchard Hills Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Iowa schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Norwalk · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 17.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Orchard Hills Elementary has class sizes larger than 72% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Hills Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Norwalk, IA.
School address
District: Norwalk Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192124002279 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orchard Hills Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orchard Hills Elementary
Orchard Hills Elementary is a lower-poverty, large elementary school in Norwalk, Iowa, enrolling 558 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.9% free-meal eligibility runs 51% below the Iowa average.
Enrollment of 558 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 243 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #155.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 558 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Norwalk's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lakewood Elementary School (554 students): Orchard Hills Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.5:1 vs 16.8:1).
Norwalk Comm School District also operates Norwalk Senior High School (1,035 students) and Norwalk Middle School (824 students) alongside Orchard Hills Elementary.
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 Orchard Hills Elementary compares
Orchard Hills 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.9% | ▼ 51% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 558 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
558
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 72% in Iowa - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.6%
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
$10,513
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 558 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 82.4%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 7.5%
African American 1.8%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 82.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.9, Orchard Hills Elementary is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Norwalk Comm School District, which includes Orchard Hills Elementary.
$10,513
Per student
-18%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Orchard Hills Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwalk Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Norwalk Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lakewood Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oviatt Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orchard Hills Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 824
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 554
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary schools in Norwalk
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~558 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orchard Hills Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Orchard Hills Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Norwalk 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 Orchard Hills Elementary
How many students attend Orchard Hills Elementary?
Orchard Hills Elementary has 558 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Norwalk, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard Hills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard Hills Elementary is 15.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Orchard Hills Elementary?
17.9% of students at Orchard Hills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orchard Hills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Orchard Hills Elementary is White at 82.4% of enrollment, in Norwalk, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard Hills Elementary?
Orchard Hills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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).
How does Orchard Hills Elementary rank among public schools in Norwalk?
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Hills Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Norwalk, 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 Norwalk on the city page.
Is Orchard Hills Elementary a good school?
Orchard Hills Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% 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 Norwalk Comm School District?
Besides Orchard Hills Elementary, Norwalk Comm School District also operates Norwalk Senior High School (1,035 students), Norwalk Middle School (824 students), and Lakewood Elementary School (554 students). See the Norwalk 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.