Enrollment
512
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · North Liberty, IA
Penn Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Penn Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191470000898
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Penn Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Iowa schools.
- #4 of 5
- schools in North Liberty · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 11.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Penn Elementary School has class sizes larger than 72% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Penn Elementary School ranks #4 of 5 schools in North Liberty, IA.
School address
District: Iowa City Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191470000898 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Penn Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Penn Elementary School
Penn Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in North Liberty, Iowa, enrolling 512 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, 11.4% free-meal eligibility runs 69% below the Iowa average.
Enrollment of 512 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 171 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #71.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and African American (8%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 512 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among North Liberty's public schools, it stands alongside Christine Grant Elementary (426 students): Penn Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.5:1 vs 13.3:1).
Iowa City Comm School District also operates Iowa City High School (1,666 students) and West Senior High School (1,514 students) alongside Penn Elementary School.
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 Penn Elementary School compares
Penn Elementary 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.4% | ▼ 69% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 19% | - | - |
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.
512
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% 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
6.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,920
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 512 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
- 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 75.6%
African American 8.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 75.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.1, Penn Elementary School is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Iowa City Comm School District, which includes Penn Elementary School.
$13,920
Per student
+8%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.7%
State 41.5%
Federal 12.8%
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.
How Penn Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa City High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Senior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Liberty High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southeast Junior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northwest Junior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Penn Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,666
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,514
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,286
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,269
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,113
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools in North Liberty
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Christine Grant Elementary
Standard public school
426 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
James Van Allen Elementary School
Standard public school
376 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Buford Garner Elementary
Standard public school
344 students 10.1:1 students per teacher
North Bend Elementary
Standard public school
326 students 13:1 students per teacher
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 (~512 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Penn Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Penn Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Iowa City 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 Penn Elementary School
How many students attend Penn Elementary School?
Penn Elementary School has 512 students enrolled. It is a public school in North Liberty, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Penn Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Penn Elementary School 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 Penn Elementary School?
11.4% of students at Penn Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Penn Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Penn Elementary School is White at 75.6% of enrollment, in North Liberty, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Penn Elementary School?
Penn Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Penn Elementary School rank among schools in North Liberty?
By Resource Investment Index, Penn Elementary School ranks #4 of 5 schools in North Liberty, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in North Liberty on the city page.
Is Penn Elementary School a good school?
Penn Elementary School earns 48/100 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 Iowa City Comm School District?
Besides Penn Elementary School, Iowa City Comm School District also operates Iowa City High School (1,666 students), West Senior High School (1,514 students), and Liberty High School (1,286 students). See the Iowa City 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.