Enrollment
169
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Elgin, IA
Valley Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Valley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190000602253
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valley Elementary School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Iowa schools.
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.9:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 23.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 169
- students enrolled
Valley Elementary School has class sizes larger than 83% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: North Fayette Valley Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190000602253 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.1%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valley Elementary School
Valley Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Elgin, Iowa, enrolling 169 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 169 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 225 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #63.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 169 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
16.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
North Fayette Valley Comm School District also operates North Fayette Valley High School (323 students) and North Fayette Valley Middle School (312 students) alongside Valley 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 Valley Elementary School compares
Valley 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 14% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.1% | ▼ 37% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 169 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
169
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 83% in Iowa - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,092
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 169 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 92.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
African American 1.8%
Two or More 1.2%
Largest group: White at 92.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.5, Valley Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Fayette Valley Comm School District, which includes Valley Elementary School.
$13,092
Per student
+2%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.1%
State 51.0%
Federal 11.9%
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 Valley Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Fayette Valley High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Fayette Valley Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Union Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fayette Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valley Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 228
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 105
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~169 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valley Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Valley Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- North Fayette Valley 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 Valley Elementary School
How many students attend Valley Elementary School?
Valley Elementary School has 169 students enrolled. It is a public school in Elgin, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Elementary School is 16.9:1, which is 14% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Elementary School?
23.1% of students at Valley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Valley Elementary School is White at 92.9% of enrollment, in Elgin, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Elementary School?
Valley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher 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 Valley Elementary School a good school?
Valley Elementary School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 North Fayette Valley Comm School District?
Besides Valley Elementary School, North Fayette Valley Comm School District also operates North Fayette Valley High School (323 students), North Fayette Valley Middle School (312 students), and West Union Elementary School (228 students). See the North Fayette Valley 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.