Enrollment
131
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Villisca, IA
Southwest Valley Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Valley Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 192928002207
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest Valley Middle School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.4:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 131
- students enrolled
Southwest Valley Middle School has class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Villisca Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192928002207 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-36% 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
What stands out at Southwest Valley Middle School
Southwest Valley Middle School is a small middle school in Villisca, Iowa, enrolling 131 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.4:1, Southwest Valley Middle School is leaner than roughly 95% of Iowa schools and 36% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 46.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 131 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 111 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #68.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 328 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Villisca Comm School District, also runs Sylvia Enarson Elementary School (112 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 Southwest Valley Middle School compares
Southwest Valley Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.4:1 | ▼ 36% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▲ 27% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 131 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.4:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
131
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
9.4:1
students per teacher
- 36% below state mean
Top 5% in Iowa - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.1%
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
$14,481
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
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 96.9%
Two or More 1.5%
African American 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Largest group: White at 96.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.1, Southwest Valley Middle School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Villisca Comm School District, which includes Southwest Valley Middle School.
$14,481
Per student
+13%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Southwest Valley Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvia Enarson Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwest Valley Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 112
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
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 (~131 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest Valley Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Southwest Valley Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Villisca 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 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 9.4:1, which is 36% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 40% 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 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% of enrollment, in Villisca, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Valley Middle School?
Southwest Valley Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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).
Is Southwest Valley Middle School a good school?
Southwest Valley Middle School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Iowa schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools. 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 Villisca Comm School District?
Besides Southwest Valley Middle School, Villisca Comm School District also operates Sylvia Enarson Elementary School (112 students). See the Villisca 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.