Other / mixed grade configuration · Reno, NV

Donner Springs Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Donner Springs Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 320048000452
0/100100/10029/100
👥 S:T ratio
39
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
17
📋 Attendance
28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Donner Springs Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of Nevada schools.

#32 of 36
schools in Reno · Resource Index
29
Resource Index · Lower
15.3:1
small classes for Nevada
92.6%
free-lunch eligible

Donner Springs Elementary has class sizes smaller than 76% of Nevada schools. Computed live against every Nevada school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Donner Springs Elementary ranks #32 of 36 schools in Reno, NV.

Enrollment

414

Nevada · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

27.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.3:1

vs 20.5:1 Nevada avg

-25% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

92.6%

vs 76.8% Nevada avg

+21% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Donner Springs Elementary compares with Nevada and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Donner Springs Elementary

Donner Springs Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Reno, Nevada, enrolling 414 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Nevada schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 92.6% lands close to the Nevada typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 414 students, its enrollment sits close to the Nevada median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 733 scored Nevada schools.

Against 186 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #98.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (53%) and White (26%) (diversity index 64/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 414 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Washoe County School District spends $10,957 per pupil, 33% below the Nevada average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Reno's public schools, it stands alongside Davidson Academy (169 students): Donner Springs Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.3:1 vs 15.4:1).

Washoe County School District also operates North Valleys High School (2,307 students) and Spanish Springs High School (2,131 students) alongside Donner Springs Elementary.

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 Donner Springs Elementary compares

Donner Springs Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Nevada and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Nevada Nevada avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 15.3:1 ▼ 25% 20.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 92.6% ▲ 21% 76.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 414 top 62% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
414
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
92.6%
free-lunch eligible - 21% above the Nevada average of 76.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher - 25% below state mean
Top 24% in Nevada - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,957
per pupil, district-wide - below Nevada avg of $16,454
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 414 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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

Hispanic or Latino 53.1%
White 26.3%
Two or More 7.0%
African American 6.3%
Asian 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 63.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 63.8, Donner Springs Elementary is more mixed than the Nevada school average of 56.4.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washoe County School District, which includes Donner Springs Elementary.

$10,957
Per student
-33%
vs Nevada
Avg $16,454
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 68.2%
Federal 12.0%

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 Donner Springs Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
North Valleys High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Spanish Springs High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Edward C. Reed High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Procter R. Hug High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Reno High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Donner Springs Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Washoe County School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Reno

2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nevada, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Donner Springs Elementary's federal record.

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 Donner Springs Elementary

How many students attend Donner Springs Elementary?

Donner Springs Elementary has 414 students enrolled. It is a public school in Reno, NV.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Donner Springs Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Donner Springs Elementary is 15.3:1, which is 25% lower than the Nevada average of 20.5:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Donner Springs Elementary?

92.6% of students at Donner Springs Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nevada average of 76.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Donner Springs Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Donner Springs Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 53.1% of enrollment, in Reno, NV. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.8/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Donner Springs Elementary?

Donner Springs Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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).

How does Donner Springs Elementary rank among schools in Reno?

By Resource Investment Index, Donner Springs Elementary ranks #32 of 36 schools in Reno, NV. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Reno on the city page.

Is Donner Springs Elementary a good school?

Donner Springs Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of Nevada schools. 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 Washoe County School District?

Besides Donner Springs Elementary, Washoe County School District also operates North Valleys High School (2,307 students), Spanish Springs High School (2,131 students), and Edward C. Reed High School (2,092 students). See the Washoe County School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.