Enrollment
248
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Spokane, WA
Balboa Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Balboa Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530825001364
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Balboa Elementary earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Washington schools.
- #8 of 48
- schools in Spokane · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Washington
- 40.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Balboa Elementary has class sizes smaller than 90% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Balboa Elementary ranks #8 of 48 schools in Spokane, WA.
School address
District: Spokane School District · Washington
NCES ID 530825001364 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.8%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Balboa Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Balboa Elementary
Balboa Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Spokane, Washington, enrolling 248 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.8:1, Balboa Elementary is leaner than roughly 90% of Washington schools and 33% under the state's 17.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.8% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 248 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 220 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #63.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Two or More (11%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 248 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 17.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Spokane's public schools, it stands alongside North Central High School (1,647 students): Balboa Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.8:1 vs 18.1:1).
Spokane School District also operates Lewis & Clark High School (1,673 students) and North Central High School (1,647 students) alongside Balboa Elementary.
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 Balboa Elementary compares
Balboa Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 33% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.8% | ▼ 9% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 248 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
248
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 10% in Washington - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.0%
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
$17,305
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 248 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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 72.2%
Two or More 10.5%
Hispanic or Latino 10.1%
African American 4.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 72.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.6, Balboa Elementary is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spokane School District, which includes Balboa Elementary.
$17,305
Per student
-11%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.2%
State 60.3%
Federal 17.5%
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.
How Balboa Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis & Clark High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Central High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ferris High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rogers High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shadle Park High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Balboa Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,673
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,647
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 1,644
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,498
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 1,445
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar other schools in Spokane
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
North Central High School
Standard public school
1,647 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Spokane International Academy
Standard public school
824 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Hamblen Elementary
Standard public school
508 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Linwood Elementary
Standard public school
503 students 12:1 students per teacher
Hutton Elementary
Standard public school
492 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Mullan Road Elementary
Standard public school
477 students 11.4:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~248 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Balboa Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Balboa Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Spokane 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 Balboa Elementary
How many students attend Balboa Elementary?
Balboa Elementary has 248 students enrolled. It is a public school in Spokane, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Balboa Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Balboa Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 33% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 25% 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 Balboa Elementary?
40.8% of students at Balboa Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Balboa Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Balboa Elementary is White at 72.2% of enrollment, in Spokane, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Balboa Elementary?
Balboa Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher 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 Balboa Elementary rank among schools in Spokane?
By Resource Investment Index, Balboa Elementary ranks #8 of 48 schools in Spokane, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Spokane on the city page.
Is Balboa Elementary a good school?
Balboa Elementary earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Washington 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 Spokane School District?
Besides Balboa Elementary, Spokane School District also operates Lewis & Clark High School (1,673 students), North Central High School (1,647 students), and Ferris High School (1,644 students). See the Spokane 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.