Enrollment
324
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530126000229
Gess Elementary — Chewelah, WA
Federal NCES profile for Gess Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 62
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: Chewelah School District · Washington
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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.8%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gess Elementary compares with Washington 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
Gess Elementary reports 324 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 61.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% above the Washington average and 19% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 287 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Chewelah School District spends $18,215 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 11.9% from local sources (property taxes), 68.6% from the state, and 19.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 Gess Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Washington state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▼ 16% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.8% | ▲ 37% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 324 | top 40% | — | — |
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
61.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 31% in Washington — lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.1%
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
$18,215
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 287 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 324 Top 40% in Washington — larger than 60% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 15:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 61.8% +37% vs state
NCES ID 530126000229
Student demographics
White 88.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 88.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.1
Students per counselor 287:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.1%
In-school suspensions 27
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chewelah School District, which includes Gess Elementary.
$18,215
Per student
-21%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 11.9%
State 68.6%
Federal 19.6%
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
- 322
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 113
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Enrollment
- 40
- 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 Gess Elementary
How many students attend Gess Elementary?
Gess Elementary has 324 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Chewelah, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gess Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gess Elementary is 15:1, which is 16% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 6% lower 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 Gess Elementary?
61.8% of students at Gess Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gess Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Gess Elementary is White at 88.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Chewelah, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gess Elementary?
Gess Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) 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.