Enrollment
616
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 530375003795
Cougar Mountain Middle School — Issaquah, WA
Federal NCES profile for Cougar Mountain Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 71
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: Issaquah 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cougar Mountain Middle 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
Cougar Mountain Middle School reports 616 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 47% 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 65% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 8.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 82% below the Washington average and 84% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 308 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Issaquah School District spends $22,423 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.4% from local sources (property taxes), 55.4% from the state, and 7.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 Cougar Mountain Middle 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 | 26.2:1 | ▲ 47% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.1% | ▼ 82% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 616 | top 81% | — | — |
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
8.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 82% 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
26.2:1
students per teacher
— 47% above state mean
Top 95% in Washington — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
11.5%
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
$22,423
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 308 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 616 Top 81% in Washington — larger than 19% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 26.2:1 +47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 8.1% -82% vs state
NCES ID 530375003795
Student demographics
White 41.6%
Asian 33.8%
Two or More 11.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
African American 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 41.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 308:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.5%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Issaquah School District, which includes Cougar Mountain Middle School.
$22,423
Per student
-3%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,419
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,244
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,495
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Enrollment
- 877
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Enrollment
- 826
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
Similar middle schools in Issaquah
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Cougar Mountain Middle School
How many students attend Cougar Mountain Middle School?
Cougar Mountain Middle School has 616 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Issaquah, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cougar Mountain Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cougar Mountain Middle School is 26.2:1, which is 47% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 65% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cougar Mountain Middle School?
8.1% of students at Cougar Mountain Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cougar Mountain Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Cougar Mountain Middle School is White at 41.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Issaquah, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cougar Mountain Middle School?
Cougar Mountain Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) 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.