Enrollment
241
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sidney, IA
Sidney Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sidney Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192625001488
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sidney Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Sidney · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 39.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Sidney Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sidney Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Sidney, IA.
School address
District: Sidney Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192625001488 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sidney Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sidney Elementary School
Sidney Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Sidney, Iowa, enrolling 241 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 39.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 241 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 377 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #233.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1205 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Sidney's public schools, it stands alongside Sidney High School (196 students): Sidney Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (12.7:1 vs 11.5:1).
Sidney Comm School District also operates Sidney High School (196 students) and Sidney Virtual Sac School (1 students) alongside Sidney 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 Sidney Elementary School compares
Sidney 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▲ 8% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
241
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 31% in Iowa - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,060
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 85.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 85.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.8, Sidney 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 Sidney Comm School District, which includes Sidney Elementary School.
$13,060
Per student
+2%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.9%
State 40.7%
Federal 9.4%
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 Sidney Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sidney Virtual Sac School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Sidney Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 196
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 1
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Sidney
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~241 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sidney Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sidney Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Sidney 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 Sidney Elementary School
How many students attend Sidney Elementary School?
Sidney Elementary School has 241 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sidney, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sidney Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sidney Elementary School is 12.7:1, which is 14% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 19% 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 Sidney Elementary School?
39.2% of students at Sidney Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sidney Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sidney Elementary School is White at 85.5% of enrollment, in Sidney, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sidney Elementary School?
Sidney Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Sidney Elementary School rank among schools in Sidney?
By Resource Investment Index, Sidney Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Sidney, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sidney on the city page.
Is Sidney Elementary School a good school?
Sidney Elementary School earns 48/100 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 Sidney Comm School District?
Besides Sidney Elementary School, Sidney Comm School District also operates Sidney High School (196 students) and Sidney Virtual Sac School (1 students). See the Sidney 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.