Enrollment
393
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Spirit Lake, IA
Spirit Lake High School
Federal NCES profile for Spirit Lake High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 192700001585
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spirit Lake High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Iowa schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Spirit Lake · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.1:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 19.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Spirit Lake High School has class sizes larger than 85% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spirit Lake High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Spirit Lake, IA.
School address
District: Spirit Lake Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192700001585 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spirit Lake High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spirit Lake High School
Spirit Lake High School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Spirit Lake, Iowa, enrolling 393 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.6% free-meal eligibility runs 46% below the Iowa average.
Enrollment of 393 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.
Among 362 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #351, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 393 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Spirit Lake Comm School District also operates Spirit Lake Elementary School (547 students) and Spirit Lake Middle School (379 students) alongside Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake High School compares
Spirit Lake 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 16% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.6% | ▼ 46% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 393 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.1:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
393
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.1:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 85% in Iowa - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.6%
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
$11,634
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 393 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.1 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 85.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 1.8%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 85.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.7, Spirit Lake High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spirit Lake Comm School District, which includes Spirit Lake High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Lake Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Spirit Lake Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spirit Lake High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~393 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spirit Lake High School's federal record.
- Compare Spirit Lake High 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 High School
How many students attend Spirit Lake High School?
Spirit Lake High School has 393 students enrolled. It is a high school in Spirit Lake, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spirit Lake High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Spirit Lake High School is 17.1:1, which is 16% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spirit Lake High School?
19.6% of students at Spirit Lake High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spirit Lake High School?
The largest demographic group at Spirit Lake High School is White at 85.8% of enrollment, in Spirit Lake, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spirit Lake High School?
Spirit Lake High School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Spirit Lake High School rank among public schools in Spirit Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Spirit Lake High School ranks #3 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 High School a good school?
Spirit Lake High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% 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 Spirit Lake Comm School District?
Besides Spirit Lake High School, Spirit Lake Comm School District also operates Spirit Lake Elementary School (547 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.