Other / mixed grade configuration · Tacoma, WA

Franklin Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Franklin Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530870001467
0/100100/10040/100
👥 S:T ratio
42
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
48
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Franklin Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Washington schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Washington schools.

#12 of 42
schools in Tacoma · Resource Index
40
Resource Index · Typical
14.4:1
small classes for Washington
54.0%
free-lunch eligible

Franklin Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 73% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Franklin Elementary School ranks #12 of 42 schools in Tacoma, WA.

Enrollment

260

Washington · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

18.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.4:1

vs 17.6:1 Washington avg

-18% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

54.0%

vs 45.0% Washington avg

+20% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Franklin Elementary School compares with Washington and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

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

What stands out at Franklin Elementary School

Franklin Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Tacoma, Washington, enrolling 260 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 54.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 260 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.

Among 254 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Washington schools statewide, it ranks #183, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (35%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 77/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Tacoma's public schools, it stands alongside Columbia Junior High School (619 students): Franklin Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.4:1 vs 20.6:1).

Tacoma School District also operates Stadium High School (1,700 students) and Lincoln High School (1,556 students) alongside Franklin 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 Franklin Elementary School compares

Franklin 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 14.4:1 ▼ 18% 17.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 54.0% ▲ 20% 45.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 260 top 68% - -

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

14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
260
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
54.0%
free-lunch eligible - 20% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher - 18% below state mean
Top 27% in Washington - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
65.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,575
per pupil, district-wide - below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 34.7%
Hispanic or Latino 20.5%
Two or More 20.1%
African American 17.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 5.0%
Asian 2.7%

Largest group: White at 34.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 76.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 76.5, Franklin Elementary School is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tacoma School District, which includes Franklin Elementary School.

$17,575
Per student
-10%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 57.0%
Federal 12.8%

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 Franklin Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Stadium High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lincoln High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mount Tahoma High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Dr. Dolores Silas High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Baker Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Franklin Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Tacoma School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Tacoma

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Franklin Elementary School's federal record.

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 Franklin Elementary School

How many students attend Franklin Elementary School?

Franklin Elementary School has 260 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tacoma, WA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Franklin Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Franklin Elementary School is 14.4:1, which is 18% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 8% lower 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 Franklin Elementary School?

54.0% of students at Franklin Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Franklin Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Franklin Elementary School is White at 34.7% of enrollment, in Tacoma, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 76.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Franklin Elementary School?

Franklin Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Franklin Elementary School rank among schools in Tacoma?

By Resource Investment Index, Franklin Elementary School ranks #12 of 42 schools in Tacoma, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tacoma on the city page.

Is Franklin Elementary School a good school?

Franklin Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Washington schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Washington schools. 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 Tacoma School District?

Besides Franklin Elementary School, Tacoma School District also operates Stadium High School (1,700 students), Lincoln High School (1,556 students), and Mount Tahoma High School (1,410 students). See the Tacoma School District district page for the complete list.

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

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.