Elementary school (grades K-5) · Johnston, IA

Timber Ridge Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Timber Ridge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 191545001412
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
42
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Timber Ridge Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.

#2 of 4
elementary schools in Johnston · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
14.5:1
students per teacher
29.6%
free-lunch eligible

Timber Ridge Elementary has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Timber Ridge Elementary ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Johnston, IA.

Enrollment

667

Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

46.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.5:1

vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg

-2% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

29.6%

vs 36.4% Iowa avg

-19% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Timber Ridge Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Timber Ridge Elementary

Timber Ridge Elementary is a large elementary school in Johnston, Iowa, enrolling 667 students.

At 14.5:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 29.6% of students eligible for free meals.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 91% of state schools at 667 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.

Against 219 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #126.

Its student body is led by White (60%) and Asian (14%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 60/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 667 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

15.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Among Johnston's elementary schools, it stands alongside Horizon Elementary (613 students): Timber Ridge Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.5:1 vs 14.3:1).

Johnston Comm School District also operates Johnston Senior High School (1,820 students) and Johnston Middle School (1,161 students) alongside Timber Ridge Elementary.

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 Timber Ridge Elementary compares

Timber Ridge Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Iowa Iowa avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 14.5:1 ▼ 2% 14.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 29.6% ▼ 19% 36.4% 51.7%
Enrollment 667 top 9% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
667
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
29.6%
free-lunch eligible - 19% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher - 2% below state mean
Top 58% in Iowa - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,756
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 667 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 60.0%
Asian 14.2%
African American 10.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 6.4%

Largest group: White at 60.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 59.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 59.7, Timber Ridge Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston Comm School District, which includes Timber Ridge Elementary.

$11,756
Per student
-9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 45.8%
Federal 7.6%

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.

How Timber Ridge Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Johnston Senior High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Johnston Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Summit Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Henry a Wallace Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Horizon Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Timber Ridge Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Johnston Comm School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Johnston

3 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Timber Ridge Elementary's federal record.

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 Timber Ridge Elementary

How many students attend Timber Ridge Elementary?

Timber Ridge Elementary has 667 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Johnston, IA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Timber Ridge Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Timber Ridge Elementary is 14.5:1, which is 2% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 8% 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 Timber Ridge Elementary?

29.6% of students at Timber Ridge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Timber Ridge Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Timber Ridge Elementary is White at 60.0% of enrollment, in Johnston, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Timber Ridge Elementary?

Timber Ridge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Timber Ridge Elementary rank among elementary schools in Johnston?

By Resource Investment Index, Timber Ridge Elementary ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Johnston, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Johnston on the city page.

Is Timber Ridge Elementary a good school?

Timber Ridge Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Johnston Comm School District?

Besides Timber Ridge Elementary, Johnston Comm School District also operates Johnston Senior High School (1,820 students), Johnston Middle School (1,161 students), and Summit Middle School (1,118 students). See the Johnston Comm School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.