Enrollment
392
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Custer, WA
Custer Elem
Federal NCES profile for Custer Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530285000459
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Custer Elem earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.8:1
- students per teacher
- 46.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 392
- students enrolled
Custer Elem has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Ferndale School District · Washington
NCES ID 530285000459 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.2%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Custer Elem compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Custer Elem
Custer Elem is a mid-sized elementary school in Custer, Washington, enrolling 392 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 46.2% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 392 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 482 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #166.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 392 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
10.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Ferndale School District also operates Ferndale High School (1,325 students) and Vista Middle School (550 students) alongside Custer Elem.
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 Custer Elem compares
Custer Elem on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.2% | ▲ 3% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 392 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
392
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 63% in Washington - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$17,981
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 392 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 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 69.6%
Hispanic or Latino 26.0%
Two or More 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.5%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.7, Custer Elem is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferndale School District, which includes Custer Elem.
$17,981
Per student
-8%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.3%
State 63.5%
Federal 14.2%
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 Custer Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferndale High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vista Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Skyline Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eagleridge Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cascadia Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Custer Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,325
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 496
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 457
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 440
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~392 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Custer Elem's federal record.
- Compare Custer Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Ferndale 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 Custer Elem
How many students attend Custer Elem?
Custer Elem has 392 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Custer, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Custer Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Custer Elem is 17.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Custer Elem?
46.2% of students at Custer Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Custer Elem?
The largest demographic group at Custer Elem is White at 69.6% of enrollment, in Custer, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Custer Elem?
Custer Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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).
Is Custer Elem a good school?
Custer Elem earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. 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 Ferndale School District?
Besides Custer Elem, Ferndale School District also operates Ferndale High School (1,325 students), Vista Middle School (550 students), and Skyline Elementary School (496 students). See the Ferndale 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.