Enrollment
544
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Vinton, IA
Tilford Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Tilford Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192931001550
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tilford Elementary School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Vinton · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 39.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Tilford Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tilford Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Vinton, IA.
School address
District: Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192931001550 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tilford Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tilford Elementary School
Tilford Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Vinton, Iowa, enrolling 544 students.
At 13.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Iowa median, within a few percentage points of the 14.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 39.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 544 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 278 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #86.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 363 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District also operates Vinton-Shellsburg High School (414 students) and Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School (331 students) alongside Tilford 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 Tilford Elementary School compares
Tilford 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.1% | ▲ 7% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 544 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
544
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 44% in Iowa - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$12,725
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 363 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 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 91.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 1.7%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.7, Tilford 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 Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District, which includes Tilford Elementary School.
$12,725
Per student
-1%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 49.7%
Federal 10.2%
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 Tilford Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinton-Shellsburg High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shellsburg Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tilford Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~544 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tilford Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Tilford Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Vinton-Shellsburg 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 Tilford Elementary School
How many students attend Tilford Elementary School?
Tilford Elementary School has 544 students enrolled. It is a public school in Vinton, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tilford Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tilford Elementary School is 13.6:1, which is 8% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 13% 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 Tilford Elementary School?
39.1% of students at Tilford Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tilford Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Tilford Elementary School is White at 91.7% of enrollment, in Vinton, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tilford Elementary School?
Tilford Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Tilford Elementary School rank among public schools in Vinton?
By Resource Investment Index, Tilford Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Vinton, 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 Vinton on the city page.
Is Tilford Elementary School a good school?
Tilford Elementary School earns 47/100 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 Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District?
Besides Tilford Elementary School, Vinton-Shellsburg Comm School District also operates Vinton-Shellsburg High School (414 students), Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School (331 students), and Shellsburg Elementary School (269 students). See the Vinton-Shellsburg 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.