Enrollment
284
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tipton, IA
Tipton Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Tipton Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192787001621
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tipton Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Iowa schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Tipton · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 33.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Tipton Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 84% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tipton Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Tipton, IA.
School address
District: Tipton Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192787001621 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tipton Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tipton Elementary School
Tipton Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Tipton, Iowa, enrolling 284 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 33.0% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 284 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 448 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #326, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 284 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Tipton Comm School District also operates Tipton High School (302 students) and Tipton Middle School (256 students) alongside Tipton 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 Tipton Elementary School compares
Tipton 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 23% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.0% | ▼ 9% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 284 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
284
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 16% in Iowa - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,524
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 284 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.5 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 89.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 89.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.9, Tipton Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tipton Comm School District, which includes Tipton Elementary School.
$11,524
Per student
-10%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 51.7%
Federal 8.7%
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 Tipton Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tipton High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tipton Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tipton Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 302
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 256
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~284 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tipton Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Tipton Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Tipton 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 Tipton Elementary School
How many students attend Tipton Elementary School?
Tipton Elementary School has 284 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tipton, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tipton Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tipton Elementary School is 11.4:1, which is 23% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 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 Tipton Elementary School?
33.0% of students at Tipton Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tipton Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Tipton Elementary School is White at 89.8% of enrollment, in Tipton, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tipton Elementary School?
Tipton Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Tipton Elementary School rank among public schools in Tipton?
By Resource Investment Index, Tipton Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Tipton, 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 Tipton on the city page.
Is Tipton Elementary School a good school?
Tipton Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Tipton Comm School District?
Besides Tipton Elementary School, Tipton Comm School District also operates Tipton High School (302 students) and Tipton Middle School (256 students). See the Tipton 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.