2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 160018601114 Charter school

Fern-Waters Public Charter School — Salmon, ID

Federal NCES profile for Fern-Waters Public Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.

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0/100100/10035/100
👥 Class size
40
🌟 Gifted program
30
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 →

The verdict

Fern-Waters Public Charter School earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of Idaho schools.

F
Resource Index · 35/100
15:1
small classes for Idaho
141
students enrolled

School address

Salmon, ID 83647
District: Fern-Waters Public Charter School Inc. · Idaho

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.

Enrollment

141

Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

5.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15:1

vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg

-13% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Fern-Waters Public Charter School compares with Idaho and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median
0:135:115:1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

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

Fern-Waters Public Charter School reports 141 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Idaho state mean of 17.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.

On the finance side, the surrounding Fern-Waters Public Charter School Inc. spends $10,355 per pupil district-wide, below the Idaho average of $11,939 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 4.1% from local sources (property taxes), 70.9% from the state, and 25.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 2 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 Fern-Waters Public Charter School compares

Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Idaho state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.

Metric This school vs Idaho Idaho avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 15:1 ▼ 13% 17.3:1 15.7:1
Enrollment 141 top 22% — —

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

Class size vs. every US school

Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)

15 smaller classes than 49% of 92,598 US schools

0–2: 295 US schools (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 597 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 1,033 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 1,939 US schools (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 4,805 US schools (5%). Below this entry. 10–12: 11,082 US schools (12%). Below this entry. 12–14: 16,971 US schools (18%). Below this entry. 14–16: 18,959 US schools (20%). This entry sits in this band. 16–18: 13,660 US schools (15%). Above this entry. 18–20: 8,300 US schools (9%). Above this entry. 20–22: 5,448 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 22–24: 4,007 US schools (4%). Above this entry. 24–26: 2,663 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 26–28: 1,131 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 28–30: 504 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 30–32: 307 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 32–34: 189 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 34–36: 141 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 36–38: 93 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 38–40: 94 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 40–42: 59 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 42–44: 46 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 44–46: 56 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 46–48: 58 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 48–50: 34 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 50–52: 37 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 52–54: 30 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 54–56: 15 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 56–58: 25 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 58–60: 20 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 60 every US school, by class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

School size vs. every US school

Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')

141 larger than 14% of 95,891 US schools

0–150: 14,035 US schools (15%). This entry sits in this band. 150–300: 16,928 US schools (18%). Above this entry. 300–450: 21,633 US schools (23%). Above this entry. 450–600: 17,006 US schools (18%). Above this entry. 600–750: 10,042 US schools (10%). Above this entry. 750–900: 5,568 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 900–1,050: 3,006 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 1,050–1,200: 1,826 US schools (2%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,350: 1,220 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,350–1,500: 908 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,500–1,650: 692 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,650–1,800: 607 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,800–1,950: 502 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,950–2,100: 432 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,100–2,250: 346 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,250–2,400: 252 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,400–2,550: 203 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,550–2,700: 163 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,700–2,850: 115 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,850–3,000: 85 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 3,000 every US school, by enrollment, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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.

Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher — 13% below state mean
Top 30% in Idaho — lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$10,355
per pupil, district-wide — below Idaho avg of $11,939
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 141 Top 22% in Idaho — larger than 78% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 15:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 160018601114

Student demographics

White 100.0%

Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.

Programs & staff

Counselors (FTE) 0.0

Discipline & special education

In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fern-Waters Public Charter School Inc., which includes Fern-Waters Public Charter School.

$10,355
Per student
-13%
vs Idaho
Avg $11,939
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 4.1%
State 70.9%
Federal 25.0%

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.

Educator & family resources

In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.

Understanding NCES data

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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

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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 Fern-Waters Public Charter School

How many students attend Fern-Waters Public Charter School?

Fern-Waters Public Charter School has 141 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Salmon, ID.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Fern-Waters Public Charter School?

The student-teacher ratio at Fern-Waters Public Charter School is 15:1, which is 13% lower than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fern-Waters Public Charter School?

The largest demographic group at Fern-Waters Public Charter School is White at 100.0%. The school serves a student body in Salmon, ID.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Fern-Waters Public Charter School?

Fern-Waters Public Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.

Is Fern-Waters Public Charter School a good school?

Fern-Waters Public Charter School earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of Idaho schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating. Limited indicators were available for this school, so the picture is partial.

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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type — administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) — universe of U.S. public schools and districts. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — discipline, absenteeism, and AP-course participation. ocrdata.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey — per-pupil expenditure and revenue sources. nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency
  • USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. fns.usda.gov/nslp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS — demographic and socioeconomic context for school catchment areas. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • U.S. Department of Education ESSA Title I — federal Title I program participation. ed.gov