Enrollment
27
Wyoming · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 560530200297
Desert Elementary — Wamsutter, WY
Federal NCES profile for Desert Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 73
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 97
📋 Attendance 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: Sweetwater County School District #1 · Wyoming
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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.7:1
vs 11.7:1 Wyoming avg
-43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.0%
vs 27.4% Wyoming avg
+64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Elementary compares with Wyoming 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
Desert Elementary reports 27 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 6.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% below the Wyoming state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 58% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 64% above the Wyoming average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 14 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sweetwater County School District #1 spends $18,425 per pupil district-wide, below the Wyoming average of $24,788 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.5% from local sources (property taxes), 46.2% from the state, and 13.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), 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 Desert Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wyoming state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wyoming | Wyoming avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6.7:1 | ▼ 43% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.0% | ▲ 64% | 27.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 27 | top 14% | — | — |
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
45.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 64% above the Wyoming average of 27.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
6.7:1
students per teacher
— 43% below state mean
Top 10% in Wyoming — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
48.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,425
per pupil, district-wide
— below Wyoming avg of $24,788
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 14 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 27 Top 14% in Wyoming — larger than 86% of 351 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 6.7:1 -43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.0% +64% vs state
NCES ID 560530200297
Student demographics
White 44.4%
Hispanic or Latino 33.3%
Two or More 22.2%
Largest group: White at 44.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 14:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sweetwater County School District #1, which includes Desert Elementary.
$18,425
Per student
-26%
vs Wyoming
Avg $24,788
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.5%
State 46.2%
Federal 13.3%
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
- 1,393
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
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 Desert Elementary
How many students attend Desert Elementary?
Desert Elementary has 27 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Wamsutter, WY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Elementary is 6.7:1, which is 43% lower than the Wyoming average of 11.7:1 and 58% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Elementary?
45.0% of students at Desert Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wyoming average of 27.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Desert Elementary is White at 44.4%. The school serves a student body in Wamsutter, WY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Elementary?
Desert Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) 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.