Enrollment
269
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Shellsburg, IA
Shellsburg Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Shellsburg Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192931001476
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shellsburg Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 34.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 269
- students enrolled
Shellsburg Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192931001476 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shellsburg Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shellsburg Elementary School
Shellsburg Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Shellsburg, Iowa, enrolling 269 students.
At 14.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
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.
With 269 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 444 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #390, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 538 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District also operates Tilford Elementary School (544 students) and Vinton-Shellsburg High School (414 students) alongside Shellsburg Elementary School.
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 Shellsburg Elementary School compares
Shellsburg Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.6% | ▼ 5% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
269
Bigger than 28% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 54% in Iowa - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,725
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 92.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
Two or More 2.6%
African American 1.9%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 92.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.1, Shellsburg Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District, which includes Shellsburg Elementary School.
$12,725
Per student
-1%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 49.7%
Federal 10.2%
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 Shellsburg Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tilford Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vinton-Shellsburg High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shellsburg Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~269 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shellsburg Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Shellsburg Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Vinton-Shellsburg 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 Shellsburg Elementary School
How many students attend Shellsburg Elementary School?
Shellsburg Elementary School has 269 students enrolled. It is a public school in Shellsburg, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shellsburg Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shellsburg Elementary School is 14.2:1, which is 4% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 10% 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 Shellsburg Elementary School?
34.6% of students at Shellsburg Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shellsburg Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Shellsburg Elementary School is White at 92.6% of enrollment, in Shellsburg, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shellsburg Elementary School?
Shellsburg Elementary School 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).
Is Shellsburg Elementary School a good school?
Shellsburg Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. 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 Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District?
Besides Shellsburg Elementary School, Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District also operates Tilford Elementary School (544 students), Vinton-Shellsburg High School (414 students), and Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School (331 students). See the Vinton-Shellsburg 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.