Enrollment
134
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cusick, WA
Bess Herian Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bess Herian Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530192000296
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bess Herian Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 73.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 134
- students enrolled
Bess Herian Elementary has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Cusick School District · Washington
NCES ID 530192000296 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.5%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bess Herian Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bess Herian Elementary
Bess Herian Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Cusick, Washington, enrolling 134 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 73.5% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the Washington average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 134 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 76 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #24.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and Two or More (26%) (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 383 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
14.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 23.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Cusick's elementary schools, it stands alongside Kalispel Language Immersion School (34 students): Bess Herian Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount.
Cusick School District also operates Cusick Jr Sr High School (147 students) and Home Pride (111 students) alongside Bess Herian 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 Bess Herian Elementary compares
Bess Herian 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 | 14.9:1 | ▼ 15% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.5% | ▲ 63% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 134 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
134
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% above the Washington average of 45.0%
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
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 32% in Washington - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$18,672
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 41.8%
Two or More 26.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 17.2%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: White at 41.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.0, Bess Herian Elementary is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cusick School District, which includes Bess Herian Elementary.
$18,672
Per student
-4%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.0%
State 67.5%
Federal 23.6%
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.
How Bess Herian Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cusick Jr Sr High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Home Pride | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kalispel Language Immersion School | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Bess Herian Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 147
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 111
- Students per teacher
- 55.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 34
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary schools in Cusick
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~134 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bess Herian Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bess Herian Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Cusick 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 Bess Herian Elementary
How many students attend Bess Herian Elementary?
Bess Herian Elementary has 134 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cusick, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bess Herian Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bess Herian Elementary is 14.9:1, which is 15% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 5% 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 Bess Herian Elementary?
73.5% of students at Bess Herian Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bess Herian Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bess Herian Elementary is White at 41.8% of enrollment, in Cusick, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bess Herian Elementary?
Bess Herian Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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).
Is Bess Herian Elementary a good school?
Bess Herian Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. 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 Cusick School District?
Besides Bess Herian Elementary, Cusick School District also operates Cusick Jr Sr High School (147 students), Home Pride (111 students), and Kalispel Language Immersion School (34 students). See the Cusick 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.