Enrollment
547
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Spirit Lake, IA
Spirit Lake Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Spirit Lake Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192700001584
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spirit Lake Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Spirit Lake · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 25.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Spirit Lake Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spirit Lake Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Spirit Lake, IA.
School address
District: Spirit Lake Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192700001584 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spirit Lake Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spirit Lake Elementary School
Spirit Lake Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Spirit Lake, Iowa, enrolling 547 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 547 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 296 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #203.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 576 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Spirit Lake Comm School District also operates Spirit Lake High School (393 students) and Spirit Lake Middle School (379 students) alongside Spirit Lake Elementary 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 Spirit Lake Elementary School compares
Spirit Lake Elementary 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.5% | ▼ 30% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 547 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
547
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 68% in Iowa - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,634
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 87.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
Two or More 3.5%
African American 2.4%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.4, Spirit Lake Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spirit Lake Comm School District, which includes Spirit Lake Elementary School.
$11,634
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.6%
State 25.4%
Federal 7.1%
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 Spirit Lake Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Lake High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spirit Lake Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spirit Lake Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other 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 (~547 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spirit Lake Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Spirit Lake Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake Elementary School
How many students attend Spirit Lake Elementary School?
Spirit Lake Elementary School has 547 students enrolled. It is a public school in Spirit Lake, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spirit Lake Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Spirit Lake Elementary School is 15.2:1, which is 3% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spirit Lake Elementary School?
25.5% of students at Spirit Lake Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spirit Lake Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Spirit Lake Elementary School is White at 87.2% of enrollment, in Spirit Lake, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spirit Lake Elementary School?
Spirit Lake Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Spirit Lake Elementary School rank among public schools in Spirit Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Spirit Lake Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Spirit Lake, 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 Spirit Lake on the city page.
Is Spirit Lake Elementary School a good school?
Spirit Lake Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. 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 Spirit Lake Comm School District?
Besides Spirit Lake Elementary School, Spirit Lake Comm School District also operates Spirit Lake High School (393 students) and Spirit Lake Middle School (379 students). See the Spirit Lake 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.