Enrollment
863
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530924003107
Columbia Virtual Academy — Valley, WA
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Virtual Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
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: Valley 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
30.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+73% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.6%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Virtual Academy 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
Columbia Virtual Academy reports 863 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 30.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 73% above the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 94% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 18.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% below the Washington average and 64% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1438 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Valley School District spends $10,948 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 8.8% from local sources (property taxes), 86.7% from the state, and 4.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Columbia Virtual Academy 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 | 30.8:1 | ▲ 73% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.6% | ▼ 59% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 863 | top 91% | — | — |
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
18.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
30.8:1
students per teacher
— 73% above state mean
Top 97% in Washington — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$10,948
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.6 FTE
Per 1438 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 863 Top 91% in Washington — larger than 9% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 30.8:1 +73% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 18.6% -59% vs state
NCES ID 530924003107
Student demographics
White 55.4%
Hispanic or Latino 17.8%
Asian 9.4%
Two or More 8.7%
African American 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Largest group: White at 55.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.6
Students per counselor 1438:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valley School District, which includes Columbia Virtual Academy.
$10,948
Per student
-53%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 8.8%
State 86.7%
Federal 4.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 166
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 47
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 5.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Valley
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Columbia Virtual Academy
How many students attend Columbia Virtual Academy?
Columbia Virtual Academy has 863 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Valley, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Virtual Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Virtual Academy is 30.8:1, which is 73% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 94% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Virtual Academy?
18.6% of students at Columbia Virtual Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Virtual Academy?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Virtual Academy is White at 55.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Valley, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Virtual Academy?
Columbia Virtual Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.