Enrollment
470
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buckley, WA
Foothills Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Foothills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530978002245
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Foothills Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #3 of 7
- public schools in Buckley · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.4:1
- students per teacher
- 41.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Foothills Elementary has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Foothills Elementary ranks #3 of 7 public schools in Buckley, WA.
School address
District: White River School District · Washington
NCES ID 530978002245 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foothills Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Foothills Elementary
Foothills Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Buckley, Washington, enrolling 470 students.
At 17.4:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 41.1% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 470 students, its enrollment sits close to the Washington median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 509 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #316.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 470 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding White River School District spends $13,938 per pupil, 28% below the Washington average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Buckley's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mountain Meadow Elementary (443 students): Foothills Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.4:1 vs 21.1:1).
White River School District also operates White River High School (1,340 students) and Glacier Middle School (999 students) alongside Foothills Elementary.
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 Foothills Elementary compares
Foothills Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.4:1 | ▼ 1% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.1% | ▼ 9% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 470 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
470
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 59% in Washington - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.9%
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
$13,938
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 470 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 64.7%
Hispanic or Latino 19.1%
Two or More 9.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.3%
African American 2.1%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 64.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.4, Foothills Elementary is about as mixed as the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for White River School District, which includes Foothills Elementary.
$13,938
Per student
-28%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.1%
State 63.6%
Federal 5.3%
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 Foothills Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| White River High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Glacier Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elk Ridge Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain Meadow Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| White River Early Learning Center | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Foothills Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,340
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 564
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar elementary schools in Buckley
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~470 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Foothills Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Foothills Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- White River 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 Foothills Elementary
How many students attend Foothills Elementary?
Foothills Elementary has 470 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Buckley, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foothills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Foothills Elementary is 17.4:1, which is 1% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 11% 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 Foothills Elementary?
41.1% of students at Foothills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foothills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Foothills Elementary is White at 64.7% of enrollment, in Buckley, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foothills Elementary?
Foothills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Foothills Elementary rank among public schools in Buckley?
By Resource Investment Index, Foothills Elementary ranks #3 of 7 public schools in Buckley, 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 Buckley on the city page.
Is Foothills Elementary a good school?
Foothills Elementary earns 42/100 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 White River School District?
Besides Foothills Elementary, White River School District also operates White River High School (1,340 students), Glacier Middle School (999 students), and Elk Ridge Elementary (564 students). See the White River 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.