Enrollment
329
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 192856001650
United Community School — Boone, IA
Federal NCES profile for United Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 57
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: United 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.7%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How United Community 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
United Community School reports 329 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the Iowa average and 62% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 329 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding United Comm School District spends $24,189 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 66.1% from local sources (property taxes), 29.1% from the state, and 4.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), calculated from 4 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 United Community 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 0% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.7% | ▼ 46% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 329 | top 55% | — | — |
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
19.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 63% in Iowa — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$24,189
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 329 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 329 Top 55% in Iowa — larger than 45% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.7% -46% vs state
NCES ID 192856001650
Student demographics
White 88.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 1.5%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 88.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 329:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for United Comm School District, which includes United Community School.
$24,189
Per student
+41%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 66.1%
State 29.1%
Federal 4.8%
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.
Similar other schools in Boone
2 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 United Community School
How many students attend United Community School?
United Community School has 329 students enrolled. It is a other school in Boone, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at United Community School?
The student-teacher ratio at United Community School is 15:1, which is 0% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at United Community School?
19.7% of students at United Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of United Community School?
The largest demographic group at United Community School is White at 88.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Boone, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for United Community School?
United Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.