Enrollment
290
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530132000236
Highland Elementary — Clarkston, WA
Federal NCES profile for Highland Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 73
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: Clarkston 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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.8%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland 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
Highland Elementary reports 290 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% above the Washington average and 21% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Clarkston School District spends $16,847 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 11.2% from local sources (property taxes), 68.7% from the state, and 20.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 3 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 Highland 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.8% | ▲ 40% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 290 | top 35% | — | — |
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
62.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 40% 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
16:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 44% in Washington — lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.0%
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
$16,847
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 290 Top 35% in Washington — larger than 65% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.8% +40% vs state
NCES ID 530132000236
Student demographics
White 80.0%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 80.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.0%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clarkston School District, which includes Highland Elementary.
$16,847
Per student
-27%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 11.2%
State 68.7%
Federal 20.1%
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
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 358
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 346
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 252
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Clarkston
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Highland Elementary
How many students attend Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary has 290 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Clarkston, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary is 16:1, which is 10% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 1% higher 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 Highland Elementary?
62.8% of students at Highland Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highland Elementary is White at 80.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Clarkston, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.