Enrollment
737
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waverly, IA
Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 193054001749
👥 S:T ratio 38
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Iowa schools.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Waverly · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.4:1
- large classes for Iowa
- 16.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School has class sizes larger than 71% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Waverly, IA.
School address
District: Waverly-Shell Rock Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 193054001749 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.5%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School
Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Waverly, Iowa, enrolling 737 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.5% free-meal eligibility runs 55% below the Iowa average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 93% of state schools at 737 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 146 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #142, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 369 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Waverly's high schools, it stands alongside Greenview Alternative School (45 students): Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.4:1 vs 45:1).
Waverly-Shell Rock Comm School District also operates Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School (681 students) and Margaretta Carey Elementary School (237 students) alongside Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High 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 Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School compares
Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High 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 | 15.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.5% | ▼ 55% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 737 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
737
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 71% in Iowa - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
24.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,251
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 369 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 92.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 92.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.4, Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waverly-Shell Rock Comm School District, which includes Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School.
$12,251
Per student
-5%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.8%
State 51.5%
Federal 8.7%
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 Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Margaretta Carey Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Cedar Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shell Rock Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Greenview Alternative School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 681
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 237
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 116
- Students per teacher
- 6.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 45
- Students per teacher
- 45:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
Similar high schools in Waverly
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~737 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Waverly-Shell Rock 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 Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School
How many students attend Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School?
Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School has 737 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waverly, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School is 15.4:1, which is 4% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School?
16.5% of students at Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School is White at 92.4% of enrollment, in Waverly, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School?
Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School rank among public schools in Waverly?
By Resource Investment Index, Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Waverly, 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 Waverly on the city page.
Is Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School a good school?
Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Waverly-Shell Rock Comm School District?
Besides Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School, Waverly-Shell Rock Comm School District also operates Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School (681 students), Margaretta Carey Elementary School (237 students), and West Cedar Elementary School (230 students). See the Waverly-Shell Rock 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.