Enrollment
154
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Washta, IA
River Valley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for River Valley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191034000657
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
River Valley Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools.
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.6:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 53.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 154
- students enrolled
River Valley Elementary has class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: River Valley Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191034000657 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How River Valley Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at River Valley Elementary
River Valley Elementary is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Washta, Iowa, enrolling 154 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.6:1, River Valley Elementary is leaner than roughly 95% of Iowa schools and 35% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 53.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 154 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 85 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 12/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, River Valley Comm School District, also runs River Valley Junior- Senior High School (137 students).
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 River Valley Elementary compares
River Valley 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 | 9.6:1 | ▼ 35% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.4% | ▲ 47% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 154 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
154
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 5% in Iowa - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.1%
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
$14,570
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.6 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 93.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 1.3%
Largest group: White at 93.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.3, River Valley Elementary is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for River Valley Comm School District, which includes River Valley Elementary.
$14,570
Per student
+13%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.7%
State 41.1%
Federal 11.2%
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 River Valley Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Valley Junior- Senior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to River Valley Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 137
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
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 (~154 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on River Valley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare River Valley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- River Valley 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 River Valley Elementary
How many students attend River Valley Elementary?
River Valley Elementary has 154 students enrolled. It is a public school in Washta, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at River Valley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at River Valley Elementary is 9.6:1, which is 35% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 39% 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 River Valley Elementary?
53.4% of students at River Valley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of River Valley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at River Valley Elementary is White at 93.5% of enrollment, in Washta, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for River Valley Elementary?
River Valley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is River Valley Elementary a good school?
River Valley Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 River Valley Comm School District?
Besides River Valley Elementary, River Valley Comm School District also operates River Valley Junior- Senior High School (137 students). See the River Valley 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.