Enrollment
441
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 530417000649
La Center Middle School — La Center, WA
Federal NCES profile for La Center Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 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: La Center 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.9%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How La Center Middle 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
La Center Middle School reports 441 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.6:1 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: 21.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% below the Washington average and 58% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 441 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding La Center School District spends $17,588 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.4% from local sources (property taxes), 67.7% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 La Center Middle 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 | 19.6:1 | ▲ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.9% | ▼ 51% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 441 | top 60% | — | — |
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
21.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.6:1
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
15.4%
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
$17,588
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 441 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 441 Top 60% in Washington — larger than 40% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 19.6:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.9% -51% vs state
NCES ID 530417000649
Student demographics
White 80.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 80.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 441:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for La Center School District, which includes La Center Middle School.
$17,588
Per student
-24%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.4%
State 67.7%
Federal 6.9%
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
- 789
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 42:1
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 La Center Middle School
How many students attend La Center Middle School?
La Center Middle School has 441 students enrolled. It is a middle school in La Center, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Center Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at La Center Middle School is 19.6:1, 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 La Center Middle School?
21.9% of students at La Center Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Center Middle School?
The largest demographic group at La Center Middle School is White at 80.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in La Center, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for La Center Middle School?
La Center Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.