Enrollment
1,088
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Pleasant Hill, IA
Southeast Polk Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Southeast Polk Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 192682001573
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southeast Polk Junior High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Iowa schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Iowa.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Pleasant Hill · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 29.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Southeast Polk Junior High has class sizes larger than 81% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southeast Polk Junior High ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Pleasant Hill, IA.
School address
District: Southeast Polk Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192682001573 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
66.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southeast Polk Junior High compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southeast Polk Junior High
Southeast Polk Junior High is a large middle school in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, enrolling 1,088 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,088 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 75 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #57, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 363 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 234 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,088 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Pleasant Hill's middle schools, it stands alongside Spring Creek - 6th Grade (1,112 students): Southeast Polk Junior High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.5:1 vs 32.7:1).
Southeast Polk Comm School District also operates Southeast Polk High School (1,722 students) and Spring Creek - 6th Grade (1,112 students) alongside Southeast Polk Junior High.
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 Southeast Polk Junior High compares
Southeast Polk Junior High on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 11% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.9% | ▼ 18% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,088 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,088
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 81% in Iowa - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.9%
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
$11,914
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 363 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
124
in-school suspensions + 110 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.5 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southeast Polk Comm School District, which includes Southeast Polk Junior High.
$11,914
Per student
-7%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.9%
State 52.1%
Federal 10.0%
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 Southeast Polk Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Polk High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Spring Creek - 6th Grade | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clay Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willowbrook Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Four Mile Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southeast Polk Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,722
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,112
- Students per teacher
- 32.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 495
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar middle schools in Pleasant Hill
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~1,088 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southeast Polk Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Southeast Polk Junior High against another school. Compare schools
- Southeast Polk 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 Southeast Polk Junior High
How many students attend Southeast Polk Junior High?
Southeast Polk Junior High has 1,088 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pleasant Hill, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southeast Polk Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Southeast Polk Junior High is 16.5:1, which is 11% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southeast Polk Junior High?
29.9% of students at Southeast Polk Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southeast Polk Junior High?
Southeast Polk Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Southeast Polk Junior High rank among public schools in Pleasant Hill?
By Resource Investment Index, Southeast Polk Junior High ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Pleasant Hill, 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 Pleasant Hill on the city page.
Is Southeast Polk Junior High a good school?
Southeast Polk Junior High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Iowa schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Iowa. 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 Southeast Polk Comm School District?
Besides Southeast Polk Junior High, Southeast Polk Comm School District also operates Southeast Polk High School (1,722 students), Spring Creek - 6th Grade (1,112 students), and Clay Elementary (700 students). See the Southeast Polk 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.