Enrollment
466
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 190786002216
Prairie Hill Elementary School — Cedar Rapids, IA
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Hill Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 49
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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Hill Elementary School 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 Hill Elementary School reports 466 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Iowa average and 41% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 466 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.4% 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 42/100 (D), 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 Hill Elementary School 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 | 14.2:1 | ▼ 5% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.6% | ▼ 16% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 466 | top 77% | — | — |
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
30.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 51% in Iowa — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.4%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 466 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 466 Top 77% in Iowa — larger than 23% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.6% -16% vs state
NCES ID 190786002216
Student demographics
White 64.4%
African American 19.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 64.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 466:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.4%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for College Comm School District, which includes Prairie Hill Elementary School.
$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
- 846
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 434
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar other schools in Cedar Rapids
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Prairie Point
Standard public school
868 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Viola Gibson Elementary School
Standard public school
565 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
West Willow Elementary School
Standard public school
555 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Maple Grove Elementary
Standard public school
539 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Prairie Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
438 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Prairie Crest Elementary
Standard public school
434 students 14.3:1 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 Hill Elementary School
How many students attend Prairie Hill Elementary School?
Prairie Hill Elementary School has 466 students enrolled. It is a other school in Cedar Rapids, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Hill Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Hill Elementary School is 14.2:1, which is 5% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Hill Elementary School?
30.6% of students at Prairie Hill Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Hill Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Hill Elementary School is White at 64.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cedar Rapids, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Hill Elementary School?
Prairie Hill Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) 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.