Enrollment
434
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cedar Rapids, IA
Prairie Crest Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Crest Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190786000389
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Crest Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- #6 of 17
- schools in Cedar Rapids · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 34.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Crest Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Crest Elementary ranks #6 of 17 schools in Cedar Rapids, IA.
School address
District: College Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190786000389 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Crest Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Crest Elementary
Prairie Crest Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, enrolling 434 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.6% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 434 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 395 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #305, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 434 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Cedar Rapids's public schools, it stands alongside Prairie Point (868 students): Prairie Crest Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15:1 vs 11.4:1).
College Comm School District also operates Prairie High School (1,766 students) and Prairie Point (868 students) alongside Prairie Crest 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 Prairie Crest Elementary compares
Prairie Crest 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.6% | ▼ 5% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 434 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
434
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
15:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 66% in Iowa - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.0%
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
$12,611
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 434 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 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 60.8%
African American 19.1%
Two or More 8.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
Asian 4.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
Largest group: White at 60.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.1, Prairie Crest Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for College Comm School District, which includes Prairie Crest Elementary.
$12,611
Per student
-2%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Prairie Crest Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prairie Point | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Prairie Creek | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Prairie Hill Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Prairie Ridge Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Crest Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,766
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 868
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 846
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Cedar Rapids
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Prairie Point
Standard public school
868 students 11.4:1 students per teacher
Viola Gibson Elementary School
Standard public school
565 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
West Willow Elementary School
Standard public school
555 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Maple Grove Elementary
Standard public school
539 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Prairie Hill Elementary School
Standard public school
466 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Prairie Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
438 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
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 (~434 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Crest Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Crest Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- College 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 Prairie Crest Elementary
How many students attend Prairie Crest Elementary?
Prairie Crest Elementary has 434 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cedar Rapids, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Crest Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Crest Elementary is 15:1, which is 1% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Crest Elementary?
34.6% of students at Prairie Crest Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Crest Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Crest Elementary is White at 60.8% of enrollment, in Cedar Rapids, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Crest Elementary?
Prairie Crest Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Prairie Crest Elementary rank among schools in Cedar Rapids?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Crest Elementary ranks #6 of 17 schools in Cedar Rapids, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cedar Rapids on the city page.
Is Prairie Crest Elementary a good school?
Prairie Crest Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. 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 College Comm School District?
Besides Prairie Crest Elementary, College Comm School District also operates Prairie High School (1,766 students), Prairie Point (868 students), and Prairie Creek (846 students). See the College 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.