Enrollment
380
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 190897002268
Virtual Campus — Des Moines, IA
Federal NCES profile for Virtual Campus, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 0
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: Des Moines Independent 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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+98% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Virtual Campus 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
Virtual Campus reports 380 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 72.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 98% above the Iowa average and 39% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 136 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Des Moines Independent Comm School District spends $16,255 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.4% from local sources (property taxes), 56.2% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 Virtual Campus 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 17% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.0% | ▲ 98% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 380 | top 64% | — | — |
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
72.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 98% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 88% in Iowa — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
100.0%
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
$16,255
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.8 FTE
Per 136 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 380 Top 64% in Iowa — larger than 36% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 72.0% +98% vs state
NCES ID 190897002268
Student demographics
White 47.0%
Hispanic or Latino 27.2%
African American 13.5%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 47.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.8
Students per counselor 136:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Des Moines Independent Comm School District, which includes Virtual Campus.
$16,255
Per student
-6%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 56.2%
Federal 14.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,364
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 30.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,952
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,428
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 898
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
Similar other schools in Des Moines
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Cornell Elementary School
Standard public school
555 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Clive Learning Academy
Standard public school
551 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Capitol View Elementary School
Standard public school
533 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Moulton Elementary School
Standard public school
465 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Delaware Elementary
Standard public school
440 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Cowles Elementary School
Standard public school
392 students 18.6:1 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 Virtual Campus
How many students attend Virtual Campus?
Virtual Campus has 380 students enrolled. It is a other school in Des Moines, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Virtual Campus?
The student-teacher ratio at Virtual Campus is 17.6:1, which is 17% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Virtual Campus?
72.0% of students at Virtual Campus are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Virtual Campus?
The largest demographic group at Virtual Campus is White at 47.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Des Moines, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Virtual Campus?
Virtual Campus has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.