Enrollment
74
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 192748001603
Stratford Elementary — Stratford, IA
Federal NCES profile for Stratford Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 60
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 →
The verdict
Stratford Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of Iowa schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 46/100
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 74
- students enrolled
School address
District: Stratford 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)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Stratford Elementary 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
Stratford Elementary reports 74 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 7.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 27% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% above the Iowa average and 11% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 296 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Stratford Comm School District spends $22,864 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $12,854 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 50.2% from local sources (property taxes), 40.1% from the state, and 9.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Stratford Elementary 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 24% | 15:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▲ 27% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 74 | top 5% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
11 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 82% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
74 larger than 8% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
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
11.4:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 11% in Iowa — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$22,864
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $12,854
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 296 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 74 Top 5% in Iowa — larger than 95% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 7.0
Students per teacher 11.4:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.3% +27% vs state
NCES ID 192748001603
Student demographics
White 87.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: White at 87.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 296:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stratford Comm School District, which includes Stratford Elementary.
$22,864
Per student
+78%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
+38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.2%
State 40.1%
Federal 9.6%
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.
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Stratford Elementary side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Stratford Elementary
How many students attend Stratford Elementary?
Stratford Elementary has 74 students enrolled. It is a other school in Stratford, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stratford Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Stratford Elementary is 11.4:1, which is 24% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 27% 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 Stratford Elementary?
46.3% of students at Stratford Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stratford Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Stratford Elementary is White at 87.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Stratford, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stratford Elementary?
Stratford Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) 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.
Is Stratford Elementary a good school?
Stratford Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of Iowa schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.