Enrollment
574
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530048000123
Elk Plain School of Choice — Spanaway, WA
Federal NCES profile for Elk Plain School of Choice, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 64/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 85
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: Bethel 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.6%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Elk Plain School of Choice 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
Elk Plain School of Choice reports 574 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% below the Washington average and 45% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bethel School District spends $18,928 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.6% from local sources (property taxes), 66.9% from the state, and 8.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (C+), 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 Elk Plain School of Choice 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.6% | ▼ 36% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 574 | top 77% | — | — |
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
28.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 41% in Washington — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$18,928
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 + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 574 Top 77% in Washington — larger than 23% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.6% -36% vs state
NCES ID 530048000123
Student demographics
White 56.2%
Two or More 17.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.3%
African American 8.7%
Asian 3.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 56.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bethel School District, which includes Elk Plain School of Choice.
$18,928
Per student
-18%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 66.9%
Federal 8.5%
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
- 2,087
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,787
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,688
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Spanaway
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Shining Mountain Elementary
Standard public school
613 students 16:1 students per teacher
Evergreen Elementary
Standard public school
530 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Camas Prairie Elementary
Standard public school
529 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Pioneer Valley Elementary
Standard public school
524 students 16:1 students per teacher
Spanaway Elementary
Standard public school
371 students 14.6:1 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 Elk Plain School of Choice
How many students attend Elk Plain School of Choice?
Elk Plain School of Choice has 574 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Spanaway, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Elk Plain School of Choice?
The student-teacher ratio at Elk Plain School of Choice is 15.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 1% lower 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 Elk Plain School of Choice?
28.6% of students at Elk Plain School of Choice are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Elk Plain School of Choice?
The largest demographic group at Elk Plain School of Choice is White at 56.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Spanaway, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Elk Plain School of Choice?
Elk Plain School of Choice has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (C+) 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.