Enrollment
259
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530420003561
Early Learning Center — Lake Stevens, WA
Federal NCES profile for Early Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 44
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: Lake Stevens 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
49.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+176% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.9%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Early Learning Center 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
Early Learning Center reports 259 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 49.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 176% 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 209% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 58.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% above the Washington average and 14% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lake Stevens School District spends $18,088 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.1% from local sources (property taxes), 72.2% from the state, and 6.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Early Learning Center 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 | 49.2:1 | ▲ 176% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.9% | ▲ 31% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 259 | top 32% | — | — |
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
58.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
49.2:1
students per teacher
— 176% above state mean
Top 99% in Washington — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$18,088
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 259 Top 32% in Washington — larger than 68% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 49.2:1 +176% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 58.9% +31% vs state
NCES ID 530420003561
Student demographics
White 50.6%
Hispanic or Latino 23.2%
African American 12.7%
Two or More 8.5%
Asian 5.0%
Largest group: White at 50.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Stevens School District, which includes Early Learning Center.
$18,088
Per student
-22%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.1%
State 72.2%
Federal 6.8%
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
- 2,205
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,490
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 856
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 842
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 709
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
Similar other schools in Lake Stevens
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Cavelero Mid High School
Standard public school
1,490 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Hillcrest Elementary School
Standard public school
842 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Sunnycrest Elementary School
Standard public school
695 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Skyline Elementary
Standard public school
562 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Highland Elementary
Standard public school
557 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Homelink
Alternative education program
31 students 6.5:1 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 Early Learning Center
How many students attend Early Learning Center?
Early Learning Center has 259 students enrolled. It is a other school in Lake Stevens, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Early Learning Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Early Learning Center is 49.2:1, which is 176% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 209% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Early Learning Center?
58.9% of students at Early Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Early Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Early Learning Center is White at 50.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lake Stevens, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Early Learning Center?
Early Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.