Enrollment
328
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Primghar, IA
South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center
Federal NCES profile for South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190002600618
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 33.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 328
- students enrolled
South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: South O'brien Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190002600618 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center
South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Primghar, Iowa, enrolling 328 students.
At 14.3:1, 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 33.3% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 328 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 468 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #101.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 328 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district, South O'brien Comm School District, also runs South O'brien Secondary School (241 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 South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center compares
South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.3% | ▼ 9% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 328 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
328
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 56% in Iowa - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.6%
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
$14,327
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 328 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 89.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
Two or More 3.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 89.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.8, South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South O'brien Comm School District, which includes South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center.
$14,327
Per student
+11%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.3%
State 28.5%
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 South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South O'brien Secondary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~328 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center's federal record.
- Compare South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center against another school. Compare schools
- South O'brien 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 O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center
How many students attend South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center?
South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center has 328 students enrolled. It is a public school in Primghar, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center?
The student-teacher ratio at South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center is 14.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 9% 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 O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center?
33.3% of students at South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center?
The largest demographic group at South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center is White at 89.3% of enrollment, in Primghar, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center?
South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center a good school?
South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center earns 55/100 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 South O'brien Comm School District?
Besides South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar Center, South O'brien Comm School District also operates South O'brien Secondary School (241 students). See the South O'brien 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.