Enrollment
175
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 192898000827
Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center — Farmington, IA
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 Attendance 82
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: Van Buren 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.4%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center 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
Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center reports 175 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 71% above the Iowa average and 20% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 206 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Van Buren County Comm School District spends $17,236 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.0% from local sources (property taxes), 49.0% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), 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 Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 16% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.4% | ▲ 71% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 175 | top 19% | — | — |
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
62.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 71% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 25% in Iowa — lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
7.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$17,236
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.9 FTE
Per 206 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 175 Top 19% in Iowa — larger than 81% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.4% +71% vs state
NCES ID 192898000827
Student demographics
White 93.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 93.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.9
Students per counselor 206:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.4%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren County Comm School District, which includes Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center.
$17,236
Per student
+0%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.0%
State 49.0%
Federal 16.0%
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
- 354
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
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 Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center
How many students attend Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center?
Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center has 175 students enrolled. It is a other school in Farmington, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center is 12.6:1, which is 16% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 21% 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 Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center?
62.4% of students at Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center?
The largest demographic group at Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center is White at 93.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Farmington, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center?
Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) 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.