Enrollment
441
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530732003901
Desert Sky Elementary — West Richland, WA
Federal NCES profile for Desert Sky Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 35
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 →
The verdict
Desert Sky Elementary earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), with class sizes near the Washington median.
- F
- Resource Index · 35/100
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 13.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 441
- students enrolled
School address
District: Richland 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.5%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Sky Elementary 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
Desert Sky Elementary reports 441 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 13.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% below the Washington average and 74% below the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richland School District spends $18,933 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.0% from local sources (property taxes), 65.7% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 1 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 Sky Elementary 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 | 16.3:1 | ▼ 8% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.5% | ▼ 70% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 441 | top 60% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
16 smaller classes than 36% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
441 larger than 54% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
13.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 48% in Washington — lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$18,933
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.
Overview
Enrollment 441 Top 60% in Washington — larger than 40% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 13.5% -70% vs state
NCES ID 530732003901
Student demographics
White 77.1%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 6.3%
Asian 2.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 77.1% of enrollment.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland School District, which includes Desert Sky Elementary.
$18,933
Per student
-18%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.0%
State 65.7%
Federal 10.3%
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
- 2,218
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,959
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 791
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 33:1
Similar elementary schools in West Richland
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 Desert Sky Elementary
How many students attend Desert Sky Elementary?
Desert Sky Elementary has 441 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in West Richland, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Sky Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Sky Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 8% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 3% higher 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 Sky Elementary?
13.5% of students at Desert Sky Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Sky Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Desert Sky Elementary is White at 77.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in West Richland, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Sky Elementary?
Desert Sky Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.