Enrollment
436
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Grimes, IA
South Prairie Elementary
Federal NCES profile for South Prairie Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 190852002029
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Prairie Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Grimes · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 21.5%
- free-lunch eligible
South Prairie Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Prairie Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Grimes, IA.
School address
District: Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190852002029 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Prairie Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Prairie Elementary
South Prairie Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Grimes, Iowa, enrolling 436 students.
At 14.1:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 21.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 436 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 362 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #254.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 436 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Grimes's elementary schools, it stands alongside North Ridge Elementary (412 students): South Prairie Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 14.7:1).
Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District also operates Dallas Center-Grimes High School (1,073 students) and Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School (586 students) alongside South Prairie Elementary.
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 Prairie Elementary compares
South Prairie Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.5% | ▼ 41% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 436 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
436
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 52% in Iowa - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.9%
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
$10,874
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 436 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 69.7%
African American 16.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 69.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.8, South Prairie Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District, which includes South Prairie Elementary.
$10,874
Per student
-15%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.8%
State 47.4%
Federal 6.8%
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 Prairie Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Center-Grimes High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dc-G Oak View | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heritage Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Ridge Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Prairie Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 412
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar elementary schools in Grimes
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~436 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Prairie Elementary's federal record.
- Compare South Prairie Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Dallas Center-Grimes 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 Prairie Elementary
How many students attend South Prairie Elementary?
South Prairie Elementary has 436 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Grimes, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Prairie Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Prairie Elementary is 14.1:1, which is 5% 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 South Prairie Elementary?
21.5% of students at South Prairie Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Prairie Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Prairie Elementary is White at 69.7% of enrollment, in Grimes, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Prairie Elementary?
South Prairie Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 South Prairie Elementary rank among public schools in Grimes?
By Resource Investment Index, South Prairie Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Grimes, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Grimes on the city page.
Is South Prairie Elementary a good school?
South Prairie Elementary earns 44/100 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 Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District?
Besides South Prairie Elementary, Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District also operates Dallas Center-Grimes High School (1,073 students), Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School (586 students), and Dc-G Oak View (537 students). See the Dallas Center-Grimes 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.