Enrollment
466
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tacoma, WA
Collins Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Collins Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530294000473
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Collins Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Washington schools.
- #22 of 42
- schools in Tacoma · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 45.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Collins Elementary has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Collins Elementary ranks #22 of 42 schools in Tacoma, WA.
School address
District: Franklin Pierce School District · Washington
NCES ID 530294000473 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.9%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Collins Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Collins Elementary
Collins Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Tacoma, Washington, enrolling 466 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 45.9% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 466 students, its enrollment sits close to the Washington median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Among 511 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Washington schools statewide, it ranks #440, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 76/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 466 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Tacoma's public schools, it stands alongside Columbia Junior High School (619 students): Collins Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.5:1 vs 20.6:1).
Franklin Pierce School District also operates Washington High School (989 students) and Franklin Pierce High School (977 students) alongside Collins 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 Collins Elementary compares
Collins 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 12% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.9% | ▲ 2% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 466 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
466
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 40% in Washington - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$17,349
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 466 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 38.2%
Hispanic or Latino 24.7%
Two or More 14.2%
African American 8.8%
Asian 8.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 38.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 75.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 75.5, Collins Elementary is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Franklin Pierce School District, which includes Collins Elementary.
$17,349
Per student
-11%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 64.5%
Federal 13.5%
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 Collins Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Franklin Pierce High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Morris Ford Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Perry G Keithley Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brookdale Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Collins Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 977
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 831
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Tacoma
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Columbia Junior High School
Standard public school
619 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Sheridan Elementary School
Standard public school
525 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Geiger Montessori School
Standard public school
521 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Boze Elementary School
Standard public school
485 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Brookdale Elementary
Standard public school
483 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Birney Elementary School
Standard public school
476 students 15.9:1 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 (~466 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Collins Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Collins Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Franklin Pierce 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 Collins Elementary
How many students attend Collins Elementary?
Collins Elementary has 466 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tacoma, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Collins Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Collins Elementary is 15.5:1, which is 12% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 1% 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 Collins Elementary?
45.9% of students at Collins Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Collins Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Collins Elementary is White at 38.2% of enrollment, in Tacoma, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 75.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Collins Elementary?
Collins Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical 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 Collins Elementary rank among schools in Tacoma?
By Resource Investment Index, Collins Elementary ranks #22 of 42 schools in Tacoma, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tacoma on the city page.
Is Collins Elementary a good school?
Collins Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Franklin Pierce School District?
Besides Collins Elementary, Franklin Pierce School District also operates Washington High School (989 students), Franklin Pierce High School (977 students), and Morris Ford Middle School (831 students). See the Franklin Pierce 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.