Enrollment
846
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 190786002113
Prairie Creek — Cedar Rapids, IA
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Creek, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 27
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: College 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)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Creek 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
Prairie Creek reports 846 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 54.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Iowa average and 37% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 423 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding College Comm School District spends $22,009 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.5% from local sources (property taxes), 41.8% from the state, and 7.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Prairie Creek 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 | 15.4:1 | ▲ 3% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.5% | ▼ 11% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 846 | top 94% | — | — |
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
32.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 69% in Iowa — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.2%
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
$22,009
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 423 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 83 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 846 Top 94% in Iowa — larger than 6% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 54.0
Students per teacher 15.4:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.5% -11% vs state
NCES ID 190786002113
Student demographics
White 68.8%
African American 14.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
Two or More 6.9%
Asian 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 68.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 423:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.2%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 83
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for College Comm School District, which includes Prairie Creek.
$22,009
Per student
+28%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.5%
State 41.8%
Federal 7.7%
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
- 1,766
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 868
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 434
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Cedar Rapids
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Van Buren Elementary School
Standard public school
429 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Hoover Elementary School
Standard public school
420 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Pierce Elementary School
Standard public school
334 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Johnson Steam Academy School
Standard public school
324 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Grant Elementary School
Standard public school
312 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Erskine Elementary School
Standard public school
308 students 14.7:1 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 Prairie Creek
How many students attend Prairie Creek?
Prairie Creek has 846 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Cedar Rapids, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Creek?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Creek is 15.4:1, which is 3% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Creek?
32.5% of students at Prairie Creek are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Creek?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Creek is White at 68.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cedar Rapids, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Creek?
Prairie Creek has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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.