Enrollment
126
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pierson, IA
Pierson Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Pierson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191575000943
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pierson Middle School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Iowa schools.
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 41.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 126
- students enrolled
Pierson Middle School has class sizes larger than 89% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Kingsley-Pierson Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191575000943 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pierson Middle School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pierson Middle School
Pierson Middle School is a small elementary school in Pierson, Iowa, enrolling 126 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18:1 is larger than about 89% of Iowa schools and 22% above the 14.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 41.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 126 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 129 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #68.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Kingsley-Pierson Comm School District also operates Kingsley Elementary School (173 students) and Kingsley-Pierson High School (141 students) alongside Pierson Middle 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 Pierson Middle School compares
Pierson Middle 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 | 18:1 | ▲ 22% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.0% | ▲ 13% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 126 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
126
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
18:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 89% in Iowa - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,718
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.5 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 81.7%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Two or More 4.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.4%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 81.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.0, Pierson Middle School is about as mixed as the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kingsley-Pierson Comm School District, which includes Pierson Middle School.
$12,718
Per student
-1%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.5%
State 47.1%
Federal 11.4%
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.
How Pierson Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsley Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Kingsley-Pierson High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pierson Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 173
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 141
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
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 (~126 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pierson Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Pierson Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Kingsley-Pierson 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 Pierson Middle School
How many students attend Pierson Middle School?
Pierson Middle School has 126 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pierson, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pierson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pierson Middle School is 18:1, which is 22% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pierson Middle School?
41.0% of students at Pierson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pierson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Pierson Middle School is White at 81.7% of enrollment, in Pierson, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pierson Middle School?
Pierson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Pierson Middle School a good school?
Pierson Middle School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 Kingsley-Pierson Comm School District?
Besides Pierson Middle School, Kingsley-Pierson Comm School District also operates Kingsley Elementary School (173 students) and Kingsley-Pierson High School (141 students). See the Kingsley-Pierson 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.