Enrollment
458
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 192532001447
Saydel High School — Des Moines, IA
Federal NCES profile for Saydel High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 45
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 9
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: Saydel 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
13.7:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saydel High 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
Saydel High School reports 458 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% above the Iowa average and 1% below the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 458 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Saydel Comm School District spends $27,921 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.5% from local sources (property taxes), 24.9% from the state, and 10.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Saydel High 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.2% | ▲ 41% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 458 | top 76% | — | — |
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
51.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 41% in Iowa — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
36.2%
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
$27,921
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 458 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
96
in-school suspensions + 70 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 458 Top 76% in Iowa — larger than 24% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 13.7:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.2% +41% vs state
NCES ID 192532001447
Student demographics
White 68.1%
Hispanic or Latino 20.4%
Two or More 9.0%
African American 2.0%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 68.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 458:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.2%
In-school suspensions 96
Out-of-school suspensions 70
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saydel Comm School District, which includes Saydel High School.
$27,921
Per student
+62%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.5%
State 24.9%
Federal 10.6%
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
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
Similar high schools in Des Moines
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Lincoln High School
Standard public school
2,364 students 26.7:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt High School
Standard public school
2,051 students 30.1:1 students per teacher
East High School
Standard public school
1,952 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
North High School
Standard public school
1,428 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Hoover High School
Standard public school
898 students 21.5:1 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 Saydel High School
How many students attend Saydel High School?
Saydel High School has 458 students enrolled. It is a high school in Des Moines, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saydel High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Saydel High School is 13.7:1, which is 9% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 14% 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 Saydel High School?
51.2% of students at Saydel High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saydel High School?
The largest demographic group at Saydel High School is White at 68.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Des Moines, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saydel High School?
Saydel High School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.