Enrollment
194
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Dysart, IA
Union Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Union Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 190002202013
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union Middle School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.9:1
- students per teacher
- 24.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 194
- students enrolled
Union Middle School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Union Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190002202013 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Middle School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union Middle School
Union Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Dysart, Iowa, enrolling 194 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 194 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 294 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #208.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 194 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Union Comm School District also operates Union High School (279 students) and La Porte City Elementary School (260 students) alongside Union Middle 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 Middle School compares
Union Middle 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.4% | ▼ 33% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 194 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
194
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 34% in Iowa - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.1%
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 194 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.3 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 92.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.6%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 92.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.6, Union Middle School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Comm School District, which includes Union Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| La Porte City Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dysart-Geneseo Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Union Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 279
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 219
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar middle 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 (~194 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Union Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Union Middle School?
Union Middle School has 194 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dysart, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Middle School is 12.9:1, which is 13% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 18% 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 Middle School?
24.4% of students at Union Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Union Middle School is White at 92.8% of enrollment, in Dysart, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Middle School?
Union Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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).
Is Union Middle School a good school?
Union Middle School earns 48/100 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 Union Comm School District?
Besides Union Middle School, Union Comm School District also operates Union High School (279 students), La Porte City Elementary School (260 students), and Dysart-Geneseo Elementary School (219 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.