Enrollment
77
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 192802001634
Tri-County Jr/Sr High School — Thornburg, IA
Federal NCES profile for Tri-County Jr/Sr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 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: Tri-County 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)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tri-County Jr/Sr High 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
Tri-County Jr/Sr High School reports 77 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the Iowa average and 28% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 59.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tri-County Comm School District spends $22,146 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.0% from local sources (property taxes), 51.7% from the state, and 10.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Tri-County Jr/Sr High 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 21% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.4% | ▲ 3% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 77 | top 5% | — | — |
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
37.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 16% in Iowa — lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
59.7%
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
$22,146
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 77 Top 5% in Iowa — larger than 95% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.4% +3% vs state
NCES ID 192802001634
Student demographics
White 94.8%
Two or More 3.9%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: White at 94.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 59.7%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tri-County Comm School District, which includes Tri-County Jr/Sr High School.
$22,146
Per student
+29%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.0%
State 51.7%
Federal 10.4%
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
- 102
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
Similar other schools in Thornburg
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Tri-County Jr/Sr High School
How many students attend Tri-County Jr/Sr High School?
Tri-County Jr/Sr High School has 77 students enrolled. It is a other school in Thornburg, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tri-County Jr/Sr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tri-County Jr/Sr High School is 11.9:1, which is 21% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 25% 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 Tri-County Jr/Sr High School?
37.4% of students at Tri-County Jr/Sr High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tri-County Jr/Sr High School?
The largest demographic group at Tri-County Jr/Sr High School is White at 94.8%. The school serves a student body in Thornburg, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tri-County Jr/Sr High School?
Tri-County Jr/Sr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.