Enrollment
688
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Elma, WA
Elma Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Elma Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530249000371
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Elma Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Elma · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 72.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Elma Elementary School has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Elma Elementary School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Elma, WA.
School address
District: Elma School District · Washington
NCES ID 530249000371 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Elma Elementary School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Elma Elementary School
Elma Elementary School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Elma, Washington, enrolling 688 students.
At 16.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Washington median, within a few percentage points of the 17.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 72.1% of students qualify for free meals, 60% above the Washington average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 688 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 237 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #99.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 688 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Elma's public schools, it stands alongside Mary M. Knight School (184 students): Elma Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.4:1 vs 10.8:1).
Elma School District also operates Elma High School (578 students) and Elma Middle School (324 students) alongside Elma Elementary School.
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 Elma Elementary School compares
Elma Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▼ 7% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.1% | ▲ 60% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 688 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
688
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 50% in Washington - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$16,114
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 688 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 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
White 67.0%
Hispanic or Latino 24.9%
Two or More 5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 67.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.6, Elma Elementary School is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elma School District, which includes Elma Elementary School.
$16,114
Per student
-17%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.4%
State 74.1%
Federal 12.5%
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.
How Elma Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elma High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elma Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Grays Harbor Open Doors | Smaller | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Eagle Virtual Sky Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| East Grays Harbor High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Elma Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 578
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 324
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 42
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 41
- Students per teacher
- -
- Enrollment
- 4
- Students per teacher
- 4:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar other schools in Elma
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 Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~688 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Elma Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Elma Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Elma School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Elma Elementary School
How many students attend Elma Elementary School?
Elma Elementary School has 688 students enrolled. It is a public school in Elma, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Elma Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Elma Elementary School is 16.4:1, which is 7% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 4% higher 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 Elma Elementary School?
72.1% of students at Elma Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Elma Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Elma Elementary School is White at 67.0% of enrollment, in Elma, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Elma Elementary School?
Elma Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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 Elma Elementary School rank among public schools in Elma?
By Resource Investment Index, Elma Elementary School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Elma, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Elma on the city page.
Is Elma Elementary School a good school?
Elma Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. 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 Elma School District?
Besides Elma Elementary School, Elma School District also operates Elma High School (578 students), Elma Middle School (324 students), and East Grays Harbor Open Doors (42 students). See the Elma School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.