Enrollment
352
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 193111002195
West Monona Elementary — Onawa, IA
Federal NCES profile for West Monona Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 58
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: West Monona 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.7%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Monona Elementary 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 Monona Elementary reports 352 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% above the Iowa average and 23% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 176 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding West Monona Comm School District spends $15,759 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.0% from local sources (property taxes), 42.4% from the state, and 11.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C), 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 West Monona Elementary 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 | 14.8:1 | ▼ 1% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.7% | ▲ 9% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 352 | top 59% | — | — |
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
39.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 60% in Iowa — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,759
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 176 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 352 Top 59% in Iowa — larger than 41% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.7% +9% vs state
NCES ID 193111002195
Student demographics
White 84.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Two or More 3.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 84.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 176:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Monona Comm School District, which includes West Monona Elementary.
$15,759
Per student
-8%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 42.4%
Federal 11.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 161
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 120
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
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 Monona Elementary
How many students attend West Monona Elementary?
West Monona Elementary has 352 students enrolled. It is a other school in Onawa, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Monona Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at West Monona Elementary is 14.8:1, which is 1% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 7% 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 West Monona Elementary?
39.7% of students at West Monona Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Monona Elementary?
The largest demographic group at West Monona Elementary is White at 84.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Onawa, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Monona Elementary?
West Monona Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C) 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.