Enrollment
335
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530042000100
Birchwood Elementary School — Bellingham, WA
Federal NCES profile for Birchwood Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 59
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: Bellingham School District · Washington
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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.5%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Birchwood Elementary School compares with Washington 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
Birchwood Elementary School reports 335 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% below the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% above the Washington average and 5% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 335 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bellingham School District spends $23,302 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.7% from local sources (property taxes), 59.5% from the state, and 9.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Birchwood Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Washington state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 20% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.5% | ▲ 21% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 335 | top 42% | — | — |
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
54.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 20% below state mean
Top 21% in Washington — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.4%
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
$23,302
per pupil, district-wide
— above Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 335 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 335 Top 42% in Washington — larger than 58% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 -20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.5% +21% vs state
NCES ID 530042000100
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 45.5%
White 40.1%
Two or More 10.5%
Asian 1.8%
African American 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 335:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.4%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bellingham School District, which includes Birchwood Elementary School.
$23,302
Per student
+1%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.7%
State 59.5%
Federal 9.9%
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
- 1,273
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 1,116
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 637
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
Similar other schools in Bellingham
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Happy Valley Elementary School
Standard public school
455 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Parkview Elementary School
Standard public school
422 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Geneva Elementary School
Standard public school
412 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Northern Heights Elementary Schl
Standard public school
396 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Silver Beach Elementary School
Standard public school
357 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Cordata Elementary School
Standard public school
357 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
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 Birchwood Elementary School
How many students attend Birchwood Elementary School?
Birchwood Elementary School has 335 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bellingham, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birchwood Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Birchwood Elementary School is 14.2:1, which is 20% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 11% 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 Birchwood Elementary School?
54.5% of students at Birchwood Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birchwood Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Birchwood Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 45.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bellingham, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birchwood Elementary School?
Birchwood Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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.