Enrollment
362
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Evansdale, IA
Poyner Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Poyner Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 193048001546
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Poyner Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 53.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 362
- students enrolled
Poyner Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Waterloo Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 193048001546 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poyner Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Poyner Elementary
Poyner Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Evansdale, Iowa, enrolling 362 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.3:1, Poyner Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of Iowa schools and 24% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 53.9% of students qualify for free meals, 48% above the Iowa average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 362 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 232 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #39.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Two or More (14%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 362 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
17.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 20.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 93 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 362 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Waterloo Comm School District also operates West High School (1,696 students) and East High School (1,016 students) alongside Poyner 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 Poyner Elementary compares
Poyner 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.9% | ▲ 48% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 362 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
362
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 15% in Iowa - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,803
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 362 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
50
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.7 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 62.4%
Two or More 13.5%
African American 10.8%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 62.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.0, Poyner Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterloo Comm School District, which includes Poyner Elementary.
$13,803
Per student
+7%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.0%
State 56.9%
Federal 20.1%
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 Poyner Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hoover Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kittrell Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Expo Alternative Learning Center | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Poyner Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,696
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,016
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 848
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~362 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Poyner Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Poyner Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Waterloo 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 Poyner Elementary
How many students attend Poyner Elementary?
Poyner Elementary has 362 students enrolled. It is a public school in Evansdale, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poyner Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Poyner Elementary is 11.3:1, which is 24% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 28% 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 Poyner Elementary?
53.9% of students at Poyner Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poyner Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Poyner Elementary is White at 62.4% of enrollment, in Evansdale, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poyner Elementary?
Poyner Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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).
Is Poyner Elementary a good school?
Poyner Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Waterloo Comm School District?
Besides Poyner Elementary, Waterloo Comm School District also operates West High School (1,696 students), East High School (1,016 students), and Hoover Middle School (848 students). See the Waterloo 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.