Enrollment
1,160
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 530870001513
Dr. Dolores Silas High School — Tacoma, WA
Federal NCES profile for Dr. Dolores Silas High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 7
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 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: 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.
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.6%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dr. Dolores Silas High School 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
Dr. Dolores Silas High School reports 1,160 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 48.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% above the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 46% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Washington average and 31% below the national baseline. The school offers 9 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 387 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 55.2% 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 29/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Dr. Dolores Silas High 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 | 23.2:1 | ▲ 30% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.6% | ▼ 21% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,160 | top 94% | — | — |
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
35.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
23.2:1
students per teacher
— 30% above state mean
Top 93% in Washington — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
55.2%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 387 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 32 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,160 Top 94% in Washington — larger than 6% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 48.0
Students per teacher 23.2:1 +30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.6% -21% vs state
NCES ID 530870001513
Student demographics
White 50.1%
Two or More 17.4%
Hispanic or Latino 13.2%
African American 10.3%
Asian 7.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 50.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 387:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 55.2%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 34
Expulsions 32
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tacoma School District, which includes Dr. Dolores Silas High 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
- Enrollment
- 1,700
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,556
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,410
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 658
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
Similar high schools in Tacoma
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Stadium High School
Standard public school
1,700 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Lincoln High School
Standard public school
1,556 students 19:1 students per teacher
Mount Tahoma High School
Standard public school
1,410 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Washington High School
Standard public school
989 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Fife High School
Standard public school
885 students 22:1 students per teacher
Tacoma School of the Arts
Standard public school
658 students 18.4:1 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 Dr. Dolores Silas High School
How many students attend Dr. Dolores Silas High School?
Dr. Dolores Silas High School has 1,160 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tacoma, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr. Dolores Silas High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dr. Dolores Silas High School is 23.2:1, which is 30% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dr. Dolores Silas High School?
35.6% of students at Dr. Dolores Silas High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dr. Dolores Silas High School?
The largest demographic group at Dr. Dolores Silas High School is White at 50.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tacoma, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dr. Dolores Silas High School?
Dr. Dolores Silas High School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.