Enrollment
284
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lake City, IA
South Central Calhoun High School
Federal NCES profile for South Central Calhoun High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 190002400961
👥 S:T ratio 58
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Central Calhoun High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Iowa schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.5:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 41.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 284
- students enrolled
South Central Calhoun High School has class sizes smaller than 91% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: South Central Calhoun Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190002400961 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Central Calhoun High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Central Calhoun High School
South Central Calhoun High School is a mid-sized high school in Lake City, Iowa, enrolling 284 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, South Central Calhoun High School is leaner than roughly 91% of Iowa schools and 29% 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 41.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 284 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 396 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #267.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 379 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
South Central Calhoun Comm School District also operates South Central Calhoun Middle School (329 students) and South Central Calhoun Elementary Building (299 students) alongside South Central Calhoun High 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 South Central Calhoun High School compares
South Central Calhoun High 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 29% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.0% | ▲ 13% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 284 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
284
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 9% in Iowa - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.2%
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
$13,490
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
28
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.6 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 92.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
Two or More 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 92.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.6, South Central Calhoun High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Central Calhoun Comm School District, which includes South Central Calhoun High School.
$13,490
Per student
+5%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.0%
State 41.9%
Federal 14.1%
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 South Central Calhoun High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Central Calhoun Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Central Calhoun Elementary Building | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Central Calhoun High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 329
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 299
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high 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 (~284 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Central Calhoun High School's federal record.
- Compare South Central Calhoun High School against another school. Compare schools
- South Central Calhoun 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 South Central Calhoun High School
How many students attend South Central Calhoun High School?
South Central Calhoun High School has 284 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lake City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Central Calhoun High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Central Calhoun High School is 10.5:1, which is 29% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 33% 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 South Central Calhoun High School?
41.0% of students at South Central Calhoun High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Central Calhoun High School?
The largest demographic group at South Central Calhoun High School is White at 92.3% of enrollment, in Lake City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Central Calhoun High School?
South Central Calhoun High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is South Central Calhoun High School a good school?
South Central Calhoun High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 South Central Calhoun Comm School District?
Besides South Central Calhoun High School, South Central Calhoun Comm School District also operates South Central Calhoun Middle School (329 students) and South Central Calhoun Elementary Building (299 students). See the South Central Calhoun 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.