Enrollment
1,390
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 530000300593
Kelso High School — Kelso, WA
Federal NCES profile for Kelso High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 22
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 30
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: Kelso 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)
73.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.8%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kelso High School 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
Kelso High School reports 1,390 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 73.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% above the Washington average and 2% above the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 284 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kelso School District spends $23,411 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 14.1% from local sources (property taxes), 73.0% from the state, and 12.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Kelso High School 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 | 19.5:1 | ▲ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.8% | ▲ 17% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,390 | top 96% | — | — |
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
52.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% 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
19.5:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 78% in Washington — 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
28.1%
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
$23,411
per pupil, district-wide
— above Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.9 FTE
Per 284 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
45
in-school suspensions + 90 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,390 Top 96% in Washington — larger than 4% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 73.0
Students per teacher 19.5:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.8% +17% vs state
NCES ID 530000300593
Student demographics
White 68.6%
Hispanic or Latino 19.6%
Two or More 6.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 68.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.9
Students per counselor 284:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.1%
In-school suspensions 45
Out-of-school suspensions 90
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kelso School District, which includes Kelso High School.
$23,411
Per student
+1%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 14.1%
State 73.0%
Federal 12.9%
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
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 559
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 426
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
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 Kelso High School
How many students attend Kelso High School?
Kelso High School has 1,390 students enrolled. It is a high school in Kelso, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kelso High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kelso High School is 19.5:1, which is 10% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kelso High School?
52.8% of students at Kelso High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kelso High School?
The largest demographic group at Kelso High School is White at 68.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kelso, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kelso High School?
Kelso High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.