Enrollment
369
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Humboldt, IA
Taft Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Taft Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191437000861
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 97
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Taft Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Iowa schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Humboldt · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 37.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Taft Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 86% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Taft Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Humboldt, IA.
School address
District: Humboldt Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191437000861 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Taft Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Taft Elementary School
Taft Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Humboldt, Iowa, enrolling 369 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.2:1, Taft Elementary School is leaner than roughly 86% of Iowa schools and 24% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 37.1% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 369 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 428 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #124.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 369 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 1.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Humboldt's elementary schools, it stands alongside Humboldt Middle School (454 students): Taft Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.2:1 vs 17.5:1).
Humboldt Comm School District also operates Humboldt High School (464 students) and Humboldt Middle School (454 students) alongside Taft 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 Taft Elementary School compares
Taft 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.1% | ▲ 2% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 369 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
369
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 14% in Iowa - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
1.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,358
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 369 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 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 83.2%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 3.3%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.1, Taft Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Humboldt Comm School District, which includes Taft Elementary School.
$11,358
Per student
-12%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.2%
State 44.9%
Federal 11.9%
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 Taft Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humboldt High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Humboldt Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clyde D Mease Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Taft Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 139
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Humboldt
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~369 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Taft Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Taft Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Humboldt 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 Taft Elementary School
How many students attend Taft Elementary School?
Taft Elementary School has 369 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Humboldt, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Taft Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Taft Elementary School is 11.2:1, which is 24% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 29% 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 Taft Elementary School?
37.1% of students at Taft Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Taft Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Taft Elementary School is White at 83.2% of enrollment, in Humboldt, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Taft Elementary School?
Taft Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Taft Elementary School rank among public schools in Humboldt?
By Resource Investment Index, Taft Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Humboldt, 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 Humboldt on the city page.
Is Taft Elementary School a good school?
Taft Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 Humboldt Comm School District?
Besides Taft Elementary School, Humboldt Comm School District also operates Humboldt High School (464 students), Humboldt Middle School (454 students), and Clyde D Mease Elementary School (139 students). See the Humboldt 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.