Enrollment
429
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 190654000266
Van Buren Elementary School — Cedar Rapids, IA
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 12
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: Cedar Rapids 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+108% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Buren Elementary 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
Van Buren Elementary School reports 429 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 108% above the Iowa average and 46% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 438 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cedar Rapids Comm School District spends $17,848 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.7% from local sources (property taxes), 48.5% from the state, and 13.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Elementary 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 19% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.6% | ▲ 108% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 429 | top 71% | — | — |
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
75.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 108% 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
12.2:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 20% in Iowa — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
35.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,848
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 438 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 429 Top 71% in Iowa — larger than 29% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 12.2:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.6% +108% vs state
NCES ID 190654000266
Student demographics
African American 46.2%
Hispanic or Latino 25.2%
White 22.1%
Two or More 4.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: African American at 46.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 438:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.2%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cedar Rapids Comm School District, which includes Van Buren Elementary School.
$17,848
Per student
+4%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 48.5%
Federal 13.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,648
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,501
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 710
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 593
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Cedar Rapids
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Prairie Creek
Standard public school
846 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Hoover Elementary School
Standard public school
420 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Pierce Elementary School
Standard public school
334 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Johnson Steam Academy School
Standard public school
324 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Grant Elementary School
Standard public school
312 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Erskine Elementary School
Standard public school
308 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
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 Elementary School
How many students attend Van Buren Elementary School?
Van Buren Elementary School has 429 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Cedar Rapids, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren Elementary School is 12.2:1, which is 19% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 23% 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 Elementary School?
75.6% of students at Van Buren Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Buren Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Van Buren Elementary School is African American at 46.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cedar Rapids, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Buren Elementary School?
Van Buren Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.