Other / mixed grade configuration · Des Moines, IA

Woodlawn Early Childhood Center

Federal NCES profile for Woodlawn Early Childhood Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190897002140
0/100100/10026/100
👥 S:T ratio
22
🌟 Gifted program
30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Woodlawn Early Childhood Center earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.

#12 of 14
schools in Des Moines · Resource Index
26
Resource Index · Lower
19.6:1
large classes for Iowa
63.1%
free-lunch eligible

Woodlawn Early Childhood Center has class sizes larger than 93% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Woodlawn Early Childhood Center ranks #12 of 14 schools in Des Moines, IA.

Enrollment

216

Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

11.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

19.6:1

vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg

+32% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

63.1%

vs 36.4% Iowa avg

+73% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Woodlawn Early Childhood Center compares with Iowa and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Woodlawn Early Childhood Center

Woodlawn Early Childhood Center is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Des Moines, Iowa, enrolling 216 students.

Class loads run heavy: 19.6:1 is larger than about 93% of Iowa schools and 32% above the 14.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need is high: 63.1% of students qualify for free meals, 73% above the Iowa average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 216 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 1,322 Iowa schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 70 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #66, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (24%) and Asian (24%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 79/100).

Among Des Moines's public schools, it stands alongside Cornell Elementary School (555 students): Woodlawn Early Childhood Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.6:1 vs 14.6:1).

Des Moines Independent Comm School District also operates Lincoln High School (2,364 students) and Roosevelt High School (2,051 students) alongside Woodlawn Early Childhood Center.

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 Woodlawn Early Childhood Center compares

Woodlawn Early Childhood Center on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Iowa Iowa avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 19.6:1 ▲ 32% 14.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 63.1% ▲ 73% 36.4% 51.7%
Enrollment 216 top 72% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

19.6:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
216
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
63.1%
free-lunch eligible - 73% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.6:1
students per teacher - 32% above state mean
Top 93% in Iowa - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$14,308
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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

  • 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 24.1%
Asian 23.6%
African American 19.9%
Hispanic or Latino 19.0%
Two or More 13.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%

Largest group: White at 24.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 79.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 79.4, Woodlawn Early Childhood Center is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Des Moines Independent Comm School District, which includes Woodlawn Early Childhood Center.

$14,308
Per student
+11%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.

How Woodlawn Early Childhood Center Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Lincoln High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Roosevelt High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
East High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
North High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hoover High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Woodlawn Early Childhood Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Des Moines Independent Comm School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Des Moines

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Woodlawn Early Childhood Center's federal record.

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 Woodlawn Early Childhood Center

How many students attend Woodlawn Early Childhood Center?

Woodlawn Early Childhood Center has 216 students enrolled. It is a public school in Des Moines, IA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Woodlawn Early Childhood Center?

The student-teacher ratio at Woodlawn Early Childhood Center is 19.6:1, which is 32% higher than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Woodlawn Early Childhood Center?

63.1% of students at Woodlawn Early Childhood Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Woodlawn Early Childhood Center?

The largest demographic group at Woodlawn Early Childhood Center is White at 24.1% of enrollment, in Des Moines, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 79.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Woodlawn Early Childhood Center?

Woodlawn Early Childhood Center has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.

How does Woodlawn Early Childhood Center rank among schools in Des Moines?

By Resource Investment Index, Woodlawn Early Childhood Center ranks #12 of 14 schools in Des Moines, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Des Moines on the city page.

Is Woodlawn Early Childhood Center a good school?

Woodlawn Early Childhood Center earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Des Moines Independent Comm School District?

Besides Woodlawn Early Childhood Center, Des Moines Independent Comm School District also operates Lincoln High School (2,364 students), Roosevelt High School (2,051 students), and East High School (1,952 students). See the Des Moines Independent Comm School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.