Enrollment
131
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 192928002207
Southwest Valley Middle School — Villisca, IA
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Valley Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 20
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: Villisca Comm School District · 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Valley Middle 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
Southwest Valley Middle School reports 131 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 33% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.3% 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 11% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 328 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Villisca Comm School District spends $21,120 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.6% from local sources (property taxes), 36.9% from the state, and 10.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Southwest Valley Middle 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 29% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▲ 27% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 131 | top 12% | — | — |
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
46.3%
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
10.6:1
students per teacher
— 29% below state mean
Top 6% in Iowa — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
32.1%
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
$21,120
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.4 FTE
Per 327 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 131 Top 12% in Iowa — larger than 88% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 10.6:1 -29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.3% +27% vs state
NCES ID 192928002207
Student demographics
White 96.9%
Two or More 1.5%
African American 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Largest group: White at 96.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.4
Students per counselor 328:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.1%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Villisca Comm School District, which includes Southwest Valley Middle School.
$21,120
Per student
+23%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 36.9%
Federal 10.4%
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
- 112
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
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 Southwest Valley Middle School
How many students attend Southwest Valley Middle School?
Southwest Valley Middle School has 131 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Villisca, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Valley Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Valley Middle School is 10.6:1, which is 29% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 33% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwest Valley Middle School?
46.3% of students at Southwest Valley Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Valley Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Valley Middle School is White at 96.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Villisca, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Valley Middle School?
Southwest Valley Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 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.