2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530870001461

Downing Elementary School — Tacoma, WA

Federal NCES profile for Downing Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.

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0/100100/10038/100
👥 Class size
32
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
40
📋 Attendance
8
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

Downing Elementary School earns an F Resource Investment Index (38/100), with class sizes near the Washington median.

F
Resource Index · 38/100
17:1
students per teacher
43.5%
free-lunch eligible
298
students enrolled

School address

Tacoma, WA 98406
District: Tacoma 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.

Enrollment

298

Washington · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

15.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17:1

vs 17.8:1 Washington avg

-4% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

43.5%

vs 45.0% Washington avg

-3% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Downing Elementary School compares with Washington and U.S. medians

At or below state median
0:135:117:1

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

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

Downing Elementary School reports 298 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.

Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the Washington average and 16% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 298 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

On the finance side, the surrounding Tacoma School District spends $23,190 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.2% from local sources (property taxes), 57.0% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 Downing Elementary School 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 17:1 ▼ 4% 17.8:1 15.9:1
Free-lunch eligible 43.5% ▼ 3% 45.0% 51.8%
Enrollment 298 top 36% — —

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)

17 smaller classes than 31% of 92,598 US schools

0–2: 295 US schools (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 597 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 1,033 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 1,939 US schools (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 4,805 US schools (5%). Below this entry. 10–12: 11,082 US schools (12%). Below this entry. 12–14: 16,971 US schools (18%). Below this entry. 14–16: 18,959 US schools (20%). Below this entry. 16–18: 13,660 US schools (15%). This entry sits in this band. 18–20: 8,300 US schools (9%). Above this entry. 20–22: 5,448 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 22–24: 4,007 US schools (4%). Above this entry. 24–26: 2,663 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 26–28: 1,131 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 28–30: 504 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 30–32: 307 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 32–34: 189 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 34–36: 141 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 36–38: 93 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 38–40: 94 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 40–42: 59 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 42–44: 46 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 44–46: 56 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 46–48: 58 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 48–50: 34 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 50–52: 37 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 52–54: 30 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 54–56: 15 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 56–58: 25 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 58–60: 20 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 60 every US school, by class size, bucketed by value

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')

298 larger than 32% of 95,891 US schools

0–150: 14,035 US schools (15%). Below this entry. 150–300: 16,928 US schools (18%). This entry sits in this band. 300–450: 21,633 US schools (23%). Above this entry. 450–600: 17,006 US schools (18%). Above this entry. 600–750: 10,042 US schools (10%). Above this entry. 750–900: 5,568 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 900–1,050: 3,006 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 1,050–1,200: 1,826 US schools (2%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,350: 1,220 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,350–1,500: 908 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,500–1,650: 692 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,650–1,800: 607 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,800–1,950: 502 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,950–2,100: 432 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,100–2,250: 346 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,250–2,400: 252 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,400–2,550: 203 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,550–2,700: 163 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,700–2,850: 115 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,850–3,000: 85 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 3,000 every US school, by enrollment, bucketed by value

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
43.5%
free-lunch eligible — 3% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher — 4% below state mean
Top 57% in Washington — lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.6%
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
$23,190
per pupil, district-wide — above Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 298 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

Enrollment 298 Top 36% in Washington — larger than 64% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 17:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.5% -3% vs state
NCES ID 530870001461

Student demographics

White 58.4%
Two or More 19.8%
Hispanic or Latino 11.4%
African American 6.7%
Asian 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%

Largest group: White at 58.4% of enrollment.

Programs & staff

Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 298:1

Discipline & special education

Chronically absent 36.6%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 0

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tacoma School District, which includes Downing Elementary School.

$23,190
Per student
+0%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 57.0%
Federal 12.8%

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

Tacoma School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Tacoma

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

Columbia Junior High School
Standard public school
619 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Sheridan Elementary School
Standard public school
525 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Geiger Montessori School
Standard public school
521 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Boze Elementary School
Standard public school
485 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Brookdale Elementary
Standard public school
483 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Birney Elementary School
Standard public school
476 students 15:1 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 Downing Elementary School

How many students attend Downing Elementary School?

Downing Elementary School has 298 students enrolled. It is a other school in Tacoma, WA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Downing Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Downing Elementary School is 17:1, which is 4% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 7% 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 Downing Elementary School?

43.5% of students at Downing Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Downing Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Downing Elementary School is White at 58.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tacoma, WA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Downing Elementary School?

Downing Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.

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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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
  • NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) — universe of U.S. public schools and districts. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — discipline, absenteeism, and AP-course participation. ocrdata.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey — per-pupil expenditure and revenue sources. nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency
  • USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. fns.usda.gov/nslp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS — demographic and socioeconomic context for school catchment areas. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • U.S. Department of Education ESSA Title I — federal Title I program participation. ed.gov