Enrollment
529
Nevada · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 320048000481
Esther Bennett Elementary — Sparks, NV
Federal NCES profile for Esther Bennett Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 65
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: Washoe County School District · Nevada
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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 22.6:1 Nevada avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.9%
vs 76.8% Nevada avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Esther Bennett Elementary compares with Nevada 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
Esther Bennett Elementary reports 529 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% below the Nevada state mean of 22.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 95.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% above the Nevada average and 85% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 529 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Washoe County School District spends $14,973 per pupil district-wide, below the Nevada average of $18,421 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.8% from local sources (property taxes), 68.2% from the state, and 12.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), 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 Esther Bennett Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nevada state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nevada | Nevada avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▼ 26% | 22.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.9% | ▲ 25% | 76.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 529 | top 54% | — | — |
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
95.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% above the Nevada average of 76.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 29% in Nevada — lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,973
per pupil, district-wide
— below Nevada avg of $18,421
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 529 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 529 Top 54% in Nevada — larger than 46% of 742 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 95.9% +25% vs state
NCES ID 320048000481
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 73.0%
White 20.0%
Two or More 2.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.5%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 529:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.2%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washoe County School District, which includes Esther Bennett Elementary.
$14,973
Per student
-19%
vs Nevada
Avg $18,421
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 68.2%
Federal 12.0%
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
- 2,307
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,131
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,092
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,008
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,741
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
Similar other schools in Sparks
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Van Gorder Elementary
Standard public school
649 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Bud Beasley Elementary
Standard public school
571 students 18:1 students per teacher
Spanish Springs Elementary
Standard public school
558 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Miguel Sepulveda Elementary School
Standard public school
532 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Jesse Hall Elementary School
Standard public school
480 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Lois Allen Elementary
Standard public school
478 students 17.5:1 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 Esther Bennett Elementary
How many students attend Esther Bennett Elementary?
Esther Bennett Elementary has 529 students enrolled. It is a other school in SPARKS, NV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Esther Bennett Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Esther Bennett Elementary is 16.8:1, which is 26% lower than the Nevada average of 22.6:1 and 6% 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 Esther Bennett Elementary?
95.9% of students at Esther Bennett Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nevada average of 76.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Esther Bennett Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Esther Bennett Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 73.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in SPARKS, NV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Esther Bennett Elementary?
Esther Bennett Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) 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.