Elementary school (grades K-5) · Graham, WA

Graham Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Graham Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530048002203
0/100100/10049/100
👥 S:T ratio
48
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
14
📋 Attendance
65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Graham Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Washington schools.

#3 of 6
elementary schools in Graham · Resource Index
49
Resource Index · Higher
13:1
small classes for Washington
41.8%
free-lunch eligible

Graham Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Graham Elementary ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Graham, WA.

Enrollment

428

Washington · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

33.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13:1

vs 17.6:1 Washington avg

-26% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

41.8%

vs 45.0% Washington avg

-7% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Graham Elementary 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 Graham Elementary

Graham Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Graham, Washington, enrolling 428 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 13:1, Graham Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of Washington schools and 26% under the state's 17.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 41.8% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 428 students, its enrollment sits close to the Washington median campus size.

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

Against 477 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #155.

Its student body is led by White (49%) and Two or More (18%) (diversity index 69/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 428 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

14.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Bethel School District spends $15,195 per pupil, 22% below the Washington average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Graham's elementary schools, it stands alongside Centennial Elementary (540 students): Graham Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 15.4:1).

Bethel School District also operates Graham Kapowsin High School (2,087 students) and Spanaway Lake High School (1,787 students) alongside Graham 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 Graham Elementary compares

Graham 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 13:1 ▼ 26% 17.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 41.8% ▼ 7% 45.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 428 top 43% - -

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

13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
428
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
41.8%
free-lunch eligible - 7% 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
13:1
students per teacher - 26% below state mean
Top 15% in Washington - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.0%
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
$15,195
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 428 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.

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 49.3%
Two or More 18.2%
Hispanic or Latino 16.8%
African American 5.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.9%
Asian 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%

Largest group: White at 49.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 68.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 68.9, Graham Elementary is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bethel School District, which includes Graham Elementary.

$15,195
Per student
-22%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 66.9%
Federal 8.5%

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 Graham Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Graham Kapowsin High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Spanaway Lake High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Bethel High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Liberty Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Spanaway Middle School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Bethel School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Graham

5 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Graham Elementary'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 Graham Elementary

How many students attend Graham Elementary?

Graham Elementary has 428 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Graham, WA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Graham Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Graham Elementary is 13:1, which is 26% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 17% 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 Graham Elementary?

41.8% of students at Graham Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Graham Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Graham Elementary is White at 49.3% of enrollment, in Graham, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Graham Elementary?

Graham Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Graham Elementary rank among elementary schools in Graham?

By Resource Investment Index, Graham Elementary ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Graham, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Graham on the city page.

Is Graham Elementary a good school?

Graham Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of 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 Bethel School District?

Besides Graham Elementary, Bethel School District also operates Graham Kapowsin High School (2,087 students), Spanaway Lake High School (1,787 students), and Bethel High School (1,688 students). See the Bethel 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.