Enrollment
1,308
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 192640001533
West High School — Sioux City, IA
Federal NCES profile for West High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 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: Sioux City 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)
83.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.9%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West High 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
West High School reports 1,308 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 83.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 81% above the Iowa average and 27% above the national baseline. The school offers 7 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 329 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sioux City Comm School District spends $13,518 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.0% from local sources (property taxes), 66.5% from the state, and 14.5% 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 5 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 West High 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 1% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.9% | ▲ 81% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,308 | top 98% | — | — |
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
65.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 81% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 64% in Iowa — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.1%
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
$13,518
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 329 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
162
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,308 Top 98% in Iowa — larger than 2% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 83.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.9% +81% vs state
NCES ID 192640001533
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.3%
White 33.0%
Two or More 8.1%
African American 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.3%
Asian 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 329:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.1%
In-school suspensions 162
Out-of-school suspensions 78
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sioux City Comm School District, which includes West High School.
$13,518
Per student
-21%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.0%
State 66.5%
Federal 14.5%
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
- 1,529
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,495
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,136
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,076
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 826
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
Similar high schools in Sioux City
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 West High School
How many students attend West High School?
West High School has 1,308 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sioux City, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West High School?
The student-teacher ratio at West High School is 15.1:1, which is 1% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West High School?
65.9% of students at West High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West High School?
The largest demographic group at West High School is Hispanic or Latino at 44.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sioux City, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West High School?
West High School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 5 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.