Enrollment
514
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 192691001583
Spencer Middle School — Spencer, IA
Federal NCES profile for Spencer Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 28
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: Spencer 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spencer 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
Spencer Middle School reports 514 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% above the Iowa average and 25% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 514 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Spencer Comm School District spends $13,680 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.2% from local sources (property taxes), 49.9% from the state, and 10.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), 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 Spencer 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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 11% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.9% | ▲ 7% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 514 | top 82% | — | — |
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
38.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 81% in Iowa — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.8%
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
$13,680
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 514 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
52
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 514 Top 82% in Iowa — larger than 18% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.9% +7% vs state
NCES ID 192691001583
Student demographics
White 87.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Two or More 3.3%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 514:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.8%
In-school suspensions 52
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spencer Comm School District, which includes Spencer Middle School.
$13,680
Per student
-21%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 249
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 201
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
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 Spencer Middle School
How many students attend Spencer Middle School?
Spencer Middle School has 514 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Spencer, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spencer Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Spencer Middle School is 16.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spencer Middle School?
38.9% of students at Spencer Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spencer Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Spencer Middle School is White at 87.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Spencer, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spencer Middle School?
Spencer Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) 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.