Enrollment
421
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 192673001556
South Tama County High School — Tama, IA
Federal NCES profile for South Tama County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 37
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 13
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: South Tama County · Iowa
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Tama County High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
South Tama County High School reports 421 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% above the Iowa average and 10% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 222 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Tama County spends $14,888 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.8% from local sources (property taxes), 56.6% from the state, and 13.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How South Tama County High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▲ 5% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.4% | ▲ 27% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 421 | top 70% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
46.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 72% in Iowa — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,888
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 222 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 421 Top 70% in Iowa — larger than 30% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.4% +27% vs state
NCES ID 192673001556
Student demographics
White 46.7%
Hispanic or Latino 36.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.9%
Two or More 6.2%
African American 1.2%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 46.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.9
Students per counselor 222:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.7%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 42
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Tama County, which includes South Tama County High School.
$14,888
Per student
-13%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.8%
State 56.6%
Federal 13.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about South Tama County High School
How many students attend South Tama County High School?
South Tama County High School has 421 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tama, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Tama County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Tama County High School is 15.7:1, which is 5% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Tama County High School?
46.4% of students at South Tama County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Tama County High School?
The largest demographic group at South Tama County High School is White at 46.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tama, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Tama County High School?
South Tama County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.