Enrollment
607
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 160093000971
Discovery Elementary School — Idaho Falls, ID
Federal NCES profile for Discovery Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 21
🌟 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: Bonneville Joint District · Idaho
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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.7:1
vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.9%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery Elementary School compares with Idaho 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
Discovery Elementary School reports 607 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% above the Idaho state mean of 17.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 24% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 17.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the Idaho average and 65% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 607 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bonneville Joint District spends $8,773 per pupil district-wide, below the Idaho average of $12,943 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.2% from local sources (property taxes), 64.4% from the state, and 16.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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 Discovery Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Idaho state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.7:1 | ▲ 14% | 17.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.9% | ▼ 39% | 29.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 607 | top 84% | — | — |
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
17.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% below the Idaho average of 29.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.7:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 75% in Idaho — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$8,773
per pupil, district-wide
— below Idaho avg of $12,943
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 607 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 607 Top 84% in Idaho — larger than 16% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 19.7:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 17.9% -39% vs state
NCES ID 160093000971
Student demographics
White 81.9%
Hispanic or Latino 14.8%
Two or More 1.5%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 607:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bonneville Joint District, which includes Discovery Elementary School.
$8,773
Per student
-32%
vs Idaho
Avg $12,943
-55%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.2%
State 64.4%
Federal 16.4%
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
- 1,693
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,230
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,176
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 810
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
Similar other schools in Idaho Falls
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Longfellow Elementary School
Standard public school
577 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Sunnyside Elementary School
Standard public school
568 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
American Heritage Charter School
Standard public school
560 students 20.3:1 students per teacher
Edgemont Gardens Elementary School
Standard public school
560 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Cloverdale Elementary School
Standard public school
542 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Ethel Boyes Elementary School
Standard public school
516 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
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 Discovery Elementary School
How many students attend Discovery Elementary School?
Discovery Elementary School has 607 students enrolled. It is a other school in IDAHO FALLS, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary School is 19.7:1, which is 14% higher than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Discovery Elementary School?
17.9% of students at Discovery Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Discovery Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Discovery Elementary School is White at 81.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in IDAHO FALLS, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery Elementary School?
Discovery Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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.