Enrollment
173
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Challis, ID
Challis Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Challis Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 160072000139
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Challis Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Idaho schools.
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.3:1
- small classes for Idaho
- 28.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 173
- students enrolled
Challis Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 77% of Idaho schools. Computed live against every Idaho school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Challis Joint District · Idaho
NCES ID 160072000139 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 17.1:1 Idaho avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.5%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Challis Elementary School compares with Idaho and U.S. medians
What stands out at Challis Elementary School
Challis Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Challis, Idaho, enrolling 173 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Idaho schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 28.5% lands close to the Idaho typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 173 puts it in the smaller third of Idaho schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 775 Idaho schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 99 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #14.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 173 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 22.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Challis Joint District also operates Challis Jr/Sr High School (136 students) and Stanley Elem/Jr High School (23 students) alongside Challis Elementary School.
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 Challis Elementary School compares
Challis Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Idaho and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 22% | 17.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.5% | ▼ 3% | 29.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 173 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
173
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% below the Idaho average of 29.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 23% in Idaho - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$13,663
per pupil, district-wide
- above Idaho avg of $11,939
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 173 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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
White 89.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Two or More 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Largest group: White at 89.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.3, Challis Elementary School is less mixed than the Idaho school average of 36.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Challis Joint District, which includes Challis Elementary School.
$13,663
Per student
+14%
vs Idaho
Avg $11,939
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.4%
State 55.9%
Federal 22.7%
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 Challis Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challis Jr/Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Stanley Elem/Jr High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Challis Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 136
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Idaho, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~173 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Challis Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Challis Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Challis Joint 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 Challis Elementary School
How many students attend Challis Elementary School?
Challis Elementary School has 173 students enrolled. It is a public school in Challis, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challis Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Challis Elementary School is 13.3:1, which is 22% lower than the Idaho average of 17.1:1 and 15% 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 Challis Elementary School?
28.5% of students at Challis Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Challis Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Challis Elementary School is White at 89.0% of enrollment, in Challis, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Challis Elementary School?
Challis Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Challis Elementary School a good school?
Challis Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Idaho 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 Challis Joint District?
Besides Challis Elementary School, Challis Joint District also operates Challis Jr/Sr High School (136 students) and Stanley Elem/Jr High School (23 students). See the Challis Joint 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.