Enrollment
688
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Spencer, IA
Spencer High School
Federal NCES profile for Spencer High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 192691001582
👥 S:T ratio 31
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spencer High School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Iowa schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Spencer · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.2:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 32.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Spencer High School has class sizes larger than 86% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spencer High School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Spencer, IA.
School address
District: Spencer Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192691001582 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spencer High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spencer High School
Spencer High School is a large high school in Spencer, Iowa, enrolling 688 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.2:1 is larger than about 86% of Iowa schools and 16% above the 14.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 32.9% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 91% of state schools at 688 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 201 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #186, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 355 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Spencer Comm School District also operates Spencer Middle School (514 students) and Lincoln Elementary School (442 students) alongside Spencer High School.
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 Spencer High School compares
Spencer High 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 16% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.9% | ▼ 10% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 688 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
688
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 86% in Iowa - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.8%
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
$11,742
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
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 355 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
46
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 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 86.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 86.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.6, Spencer High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spencer Comm School District, which includes Spencer High School.
$11,742
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.2%
State 49.9%
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 Spencer High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fairview Park Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Johnson Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spencer High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 249
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 201
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar high 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 (~688 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spencer High School's federal record.
- Compare Spencer High School against another school. Compare schools
- Spencer 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 Spencer High School
How many students attend Spencer High School?
Spencer High School has 688 students enrolled. It is a high school in Spencer, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spencer High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Spencer High School is 17.2:1, which is 16% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spencer High School?
32.9% of students at Spencer High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spencer High School?
The largest demographic group at Spencer High School is White at 86.9% of enrollment, in Spencer, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spencer High School?
Spencer High School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Spencer High School rank among public schools in Spencer?
By Resource Investment Index, Spencer High School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Spencer, 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 Spencer on the city page.
Is Spencer High School a good school?
Spencer High School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of 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 Spencer Comm School District?
Besides Spencer High School, Spencer Comm School District also operates Spencer Middle School (514 students), Lincoln Elementary School (442 students), and Fairview Park Elementary (249 students). See the Spencer 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.