Enrollment
402
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 190948000612
Thomas Jefferson Middle School — Dubuque, IA
Federal NCES profile for Thomas Jefferson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 Attendance 0
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: Dubuque 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)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas Jefferson 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
Thomas Jefferson Middle School reports 402 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 52.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 41% 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 15.9:1, it is 45% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% above the Iowa average and 10% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 206 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 65.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dubuque Comm School District spends $16,003 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.2% from local sources (property taxes), 50.4% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Thomas Jefferson 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 | 8.8:1 | ▼ 41% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.9% | ▲ 56% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 402 | top 67% | — | — |
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
56.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
8.8:1
students per teacher
— 41% below state mean
Top 1% in Iowa — lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
65.7%
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
$16,003
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
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 206 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 402 Top 67% in Iowa — larger than 33% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 52.0
Students per teacher 8.8:1 -41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.9% +56% vs state
NCES ID 190948000612
Student demographics
White 59.5%
African American 18.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 8.7%
Two or More 8.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 59.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.9
Students per counselor 206:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 65.7%
In-school suspensions 26
Out-of-school suspensions 120
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dubuque Comm School District, which includes Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
$16,003
Per student
-7%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 50.4%
Federal 14.4%
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
- 1,499
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,490
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,081
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
Similar middle schools in Dubuque
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Thomas Jefferson Middle School
How many students attend Thomas Jefferson Middle School?
Thomas Jefferson Middle School has 402 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dubuque, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson Middle School is 8.8:1, which is 41% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 45% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas Jefferson Middle School?
56.9% of students at Thomas Jefferson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas Jefferson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Thomas Jefferson Middle School is White at 59.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dubuque, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas Jefferson Middle School?
Thomas Jefferson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.