Enrollment
279
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · La Porte City, IA
Union High School
Federal NCES profile for Union High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 190002200957
👥 S:T ratio 57
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Iowa schools.
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.7:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 22.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 279
- students enrolled
Union High School has class sizes smaller than 89% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Union Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190002200957 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union High School
Union High School is a mid-sized high school in La Porte City, Iowa, enrolling 279 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.7:1, Union High School is leaner than roughly 89% of Iowa schools and 28% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 279 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 389 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #336, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Union Comm School District also operates La Porte City Elementary School (260 students) and Dysart-Geneseo Elementary School (219 students) alongside Union High 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 Union High School compares
Union High 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 28% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.5% | ▼ 38% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 279 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
279
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 11% in Iowa - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.1%
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
$12,522
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 279 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.2 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 91.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 91.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.1, Union High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Comm School District, which includes Union High School.
$12,522
Per student
-3%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.2%
State 49.4%
Federal 8.4%
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.
How Union High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Porte City Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dysart-Geneseo Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Union Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Union High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 219
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 194
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high 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 (~279 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union High School's federal record.
- Compare Union High School against another school. Compare schools
- Union 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 Union High School
How many students attend Union High School?
Union High School has 279 students enrolled. It is a high school in La Porte City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Union High School is 10.7:1, which is 28% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 32% 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 Union High School?
22.5% of students at Union High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union High School?
The largest demographic group at Union High School is White at 91.4% of enrollment, in La Porte City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union High School?
Union High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Union High School a good school?
Union High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Union Comm School District?
Besides Union High School, Union Comm School District also operates La Porte City Elementary School (260 students), Dysart-Geneseo Elementary School (219 students), and Union Middle School (194 students). See the Union 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.