Enrollment
438
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 190897000570
Perkins Elementary School — Des Moines, IA
Federal NCES profile for Perkins Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 16
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: Des Moines Independent 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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.8%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perkins Elementary 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
Perkins Elementary School reports 438 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% above the Iowa average and 10% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 438 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Des Moines Independent Comm School District spends $16,255 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.4% from local sources (property taxes), 56.2% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Perkins Elementary 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 4% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.8% | ▲ 56% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 73% | — | — |
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
56.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 71% in Iowa — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$16,255
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 438 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 438 Top 73% in Iowa — larger than 27% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.8% +56% vs state
NCES ID 190897000570
Student demographics
White 43.0%
Hispanic or Latino 22.4%
African American 19.5%
Two or More 9.6%
Asian 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 43.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 438:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Des Moines Independent Comm School District, which includes Perkins Elementary School.
$16,255
Per student
-6%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 56.2%
Federal 14.4%
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
- 2,364
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 30.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,952
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,428
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 898
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Des Moines
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Brubaker Elementary School
Standard public school
622 students 12:1 students per teacher
Studebaker Elementary School
Standard public school
561 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Garton Elementary
Standard public school
535 students 12:1 students per teacher
Morris Elementary School
Standard public school
519 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
River Woods Elementary School
Standard public school
493 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Jackson Elementary School
Standard public school
490 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
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 Perkins Elementary School
How many students attend Perkins Elementary School?
Perkins Elementary School has 438 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Des Moines, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perkins Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Perkins Elementary School is 15.6:1, which is 4% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Perkins Elementary School?
56.8% of students at Perkins Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perkins Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Perkins Elementary School is White at 43.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Des Moines, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perkins Elementary School?
Perkins Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.