Enrollment
507
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 020051000480
John Shaw Elementary — Wasilla, AK
Federal NCES profile for John Shaw Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · Alaska
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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.3%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John Shaw Elementary compares with Alaska 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
John Shaw Elementary reports 507 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Alaska state mean of 20:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% below the Alaska average and 32% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1014 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends $18,753 per pupil district-wide, below the Alaska average of $36,093 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.6% from local sources (property taxes), 62.7% from the state, and 14.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F), 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 John Shaw Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Alaska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.4:1 | ▼ 8% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.3% | ▼ 43% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 507 | top 90% | — | — |
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
35.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% below the Alaska average of 61.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 78% in Alaska — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,753
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alaska avg of $36,093
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 1014 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 507 Top 90% in Alaska — larger than 10% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 18.4:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.3% -43% vs state
NCES ID 020051000480
Student demographics
White 77.9%
Two or More 8.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 77.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 1014:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes John Shaw Elementary.
$18,753
Per student
-48%
vs Alaska
Avg $36,093
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.6%
State 62.7%
Federal 14.7%
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
- 2,780
- Students per teacher
- 98:1
- Enrollment
- 1,046
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar other schools in Wasilla
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mat-Su Central School
Standard public school
2,780 students 98:1 students per teacher
Twindly Bridge Charter School
Standard public school
601 students 97.3:1 students per teacher
Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School
Standard public school
497 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School
Standard public school
468 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Finger Lake Elementary
Standard public school
445 students 17:1 students per teacher
Iditarod Elementary
Standard public school
424 students 16.8:1 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 John Shaw Elementary
How many students attend John Shaw Elementary?
John Shaw Elementary has 507 students enrolled. It is a other school in Wasilla, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Shaw Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at John Shaw Elementary is 18.4:1, which is 8% lower than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 16% 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 John Shaw Elementary?
35.3% of students at John Shaw Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John Shaw Elementary?
The largest demographic group at John Shaw Elementary is White at 77.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wasilla, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John Shaw Elementary?
John Shaw Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F) 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.