Enrollment
350
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Issaquah, WA
Challenger Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Challenger Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530375002214
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Challenger Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Washington schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Issaquah · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.1:1
- small classes for Washington
- 14.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Challenger Elementary has class sizes smaller than 89% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Challenger Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Issaquah, WA.
School address
District: Issaquah School District · Washington
NCES ID 530375002214 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.7%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Challenger Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Challenger Elementary
Challenger Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Issaquah, Washington, enrolling 350 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.1:1, Challenger Elementary is leaner than roughly 89% of Washington schools and 31% under the state's 17.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.7% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Washington average.
With 350 students, its enrollment sits close to the Washington median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 256 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #39.
Its student body is led by Asian (41%) and White (31%) (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 350 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Issaquah's elementary schools, it stands alongside Grand Ridge Elementary (558 students): Challenger Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.1:1 vs 15.5:1).
Issaquah School District also operates Issaquah High School (2,419 students) and Skyline High School (2,244 students) alongside Challenger 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 Challenger Elementary compares
Challenger 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 31% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.7% | ▼ 67% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 350 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
350
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 11% in Washington - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$16,527
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 350 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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: 0.3 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
Asian 41.4%
White 31.1%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
Two or More 10.3%
African American 4.3%
Largest group: Asian at 41.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.3, Challenger Elementary is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Issaquah School District, which includes Challenger Elementary.
$16,527
Per student
-15%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.4%
State 55.4%
Federal 7.2%
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 Challenger Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issaquah High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Skyline High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Liberty Sr High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine Lake Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maywood Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Challenger Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,419
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,244
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,495
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 877
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 826
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools in Issaquah
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 (~350 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Challenger Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Challenger Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Issaquah 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 Challenger Elementary
How many students attend Challenger Elementary?
Challenger Elementary has 350 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Issaquah, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenger Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Challenger Elementary is 12.1:1, which is 31% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 23% 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 Challenger Elementary?
14.7% of students at Challenger Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Challenger Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Challenger Elementary is Asian at 41.4% of enrollment, in Issaquah, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Challenger Elementary?
Challenger Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Challenger Elementary rank among elementary schools in Issaquah?
By Resource Investment Index, Challenger Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Issaquah, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Issaquah on the city page.
Is Challenger Elementary a good school?
Challenger Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Issaquah School District?
Besides Challenger Elementary, Issaquah School District also operates Issaquah High School (2,419 students), Skyline High School (2,244 students), and Liberty Sr High School (1,495 students). See the Issaquah 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.