Enrollment
265
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pocahontas, IA
Pocahontas Area Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Pocahontas Area Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 192319001372
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pocahontas Area Elementary School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Iowa schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Pocahontas · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 56.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Pocahontas Area Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 70% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pocahontas Area Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Pocahontas, IA.
School address
District: Pocahontas Area Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192319001372 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pocahontas Area Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pocahontas Area Elementary School
Pocahontas Area Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Pocahontas, Iowa, enrolling 265 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 56.2% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Iowa average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 265 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 161 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #69.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 294 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Pocahontas Area Comm School District also operates Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School (367 students) and Pocahontas Area Regional Learning Center (27 students) alongside Pocahontas Area 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 Pocahontas Area Elementary School compares
Pocahontas Area 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.2% | ▲ 54% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 265 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
265
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 30% in Iowa - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,615
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.9 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 84.5%
Hispanic or Latino 10.6%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 84.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.3, Pocahontas Area Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pocahontas Area Comm School District, which includes Pocahontas Area Elementary School.
$13,615
Per student
+6%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.7%
State 25.5%
Federal 6.8%
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 Pocahontas Area Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pocahontas Area Regional Learning Center | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Pocahontas Area Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 27
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~265 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pocahontas Area Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Pocahontas Area Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Pocahontas Area 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 Pocahontas Area Elementary School
How many students attend Pocahontas Area Elementary School?
Pocahontas Area Elementary School has 265 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pocahontas, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pocahontas Area Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pocahontas Area Elementary School is 12.6:1, which is 15% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pocahontas Area Elementary School?
56.2% of students at Pocahontas Area Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pocahontas Area Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pocahontas Area Elementary School is White at 84.5% of enrollment, in Pocahontas, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pocahontas Area Elementary School?
Pocahontas Area Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Pocahontas Area Elementary School rank among public schools in Pocahontas?
By Resource Investment Index, Pocahontas Area Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Pocahontas, 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 Pocahontas on the city page.
Is Pocahontas Area Elementary School a good school?
Pocahontas Area Elementary School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Pocahontas Area Comm School District?
Besides Pocahontas Area Elementary School, Pocahontas Area Comm School District also operates Pocahontas Area Middle/ High School (367 students) and Pocahontas Area Regional Learning Center (27 students). See the Pocahontas Area 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.