Enrollment
229
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wapello, IA
Wapello Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Wapello Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192973001691
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wapello Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Iowa schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Wapello · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 24.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Wapello Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 92% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wapello Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Wapello, IA.
School address
District: Wapello Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192973001691 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.7%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wapello Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wapello Elementary School
Wapello Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Wapello, Iowa, enrolling 229 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.4:1, Wapello Elementary School is leaner than roughly 92% of Iowa schools and 30% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 229 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 364 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #352, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1145 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Wapello Comm School District also operates Wapello Senior High School (187 students) and Wapello Junior High School (102 students) alongside Wapello 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 Wapello Elementary School compares
Wapello 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 30% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.7% | ▼ 32% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 229 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
229
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 8% in Iowa - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
15.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,143
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 83.0%
Hispanic or Latino 14.4%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 83.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.0, Wapello Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wapello Comm School District, which includes Wapello Elementary School.
$14,143
Per student
+10%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.0%
State 48.4%
Federal 12.6%
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 Wapello Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wapello Senior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wapello Junior High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wapello Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 187
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 102
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~229 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wapello Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Wapello Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Wapello 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 Wapello Elementary School
How many students attend Wapello Elementary School?
Wapello Elementary School has 229 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wapello, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wapello Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wapello Elementary School is 10.4:1, which is 30% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wapello Elementary School?
24.7% of students at Wapello Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wapello Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Wapello Elementary School is White at 83.0% of enrollment, in Wapello, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wapello Elementary School?
Wapello Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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).
How does Wapello Elementary School rank among public schools in Wapello?
By Resource Investment Index, Wapello Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Wapello, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Wapello on the city page.
Is Wapello Elementary School a good school?
Wapello Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Wapello Comm School District?
Besides Wapello Elementary School, Wapello Comm School District also operates Wapello Senior High School (187 students) and Wapello Junior High School (102 students). See the Wapello 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.