Enrollment
279
District of Columbia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Washington, DC
Lasalle-Backus Es
Federal NCES profile for Lasalle-Backus Es, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 110003000042
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lasalle-Backus Es earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of District of Columbia schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most District of Columbia schools.
- #41 of 154
- schools in Washington · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8:1
- small classes for District of Columbia
- 279
- students enrolled
Lasalle-Backus Es has class sizes smaller than 91% of District of Columbia schools. Computed live against every District of Columbia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lasalle-Backus Es ranks #41 of 154 schools in Washington, DC.
School address
NCES ID 110003000042 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8:1
vs 12.3:1 District of Columbia avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lasalle-Backus Es compares with District of Columbia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lasalle-Backus Es
Lasalle-Backus Es is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Washington, District of Columbia, enrolling 279 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8:1, Lasalle-Backus Es is leaner than roughly 91% of District of Columbia schools and 35% under the state's 12.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 279 puts it in the smaller third of District of Columbia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 243 scored District of Columbia schools.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (43%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Washington's public schools, it stands alongside District of Columbia International School (1,654 students): Lasalle-Backus Es is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8:1 vs 11.3:1).
District of Columbia Public Schools also operates Jackson-Reed Hs (1,855 students) and Columbia Heights Education Campus (1,563 students) alongside Lasalle-Backus Es.
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 Lasalle-Backus Es compares
Lasalle-Backus Es on the metrics families compare, against District of Columbia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs District of Columbia | District of Columbia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8:1 | ▼ 35% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 279 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
279
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
8:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 9% in District of Columbia - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$27,425
per pupil, district-wide
- below District of Columbia avg of $31,650
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 279 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
- 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
African American 50.9%
Hispanic or Latino 42.7%
White 4.3%
Asian 1.1%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: African American at 50.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.6, Lasalle-Backus Es is more mixed than the District of Columbia school average of 33.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for District of Columbia Public Schools, which includes Lasalle-Backus Es.
$27,425
Per student
-13%
vs District of Columbia
Avg $31,650
+65%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 86.2%
Federal 13.8%
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 Lasalle-Backus Es Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson-Reed Hs | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbia Heights Education Campus | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Deal Ms | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coolidge Hs | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Hs | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lasalle-Backus Es's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,855
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,563
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,462
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,029
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 943
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar other schools in Washington
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
District of Columbia International School
Standard public school
1,654 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Columbia Heights Education Campus
Standard public school
1,563 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Lafayette Es
Standard public school
923 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Bancroft Es
Standard public school
821 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Ingenuity Prep Pcs
Standard public school
797 students 8.8:1 students per teacher
Oyster-Adams Bilingual School
Standard public school
791 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of District of Columbia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~279 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lasalle-Backus Es's federal record.
- Compare Lasalle-Backus Es against another school. Compare schools
- District of Columbia Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Lasalle-Backus Es
How many students attend Lasalle-Backus Es?
Lasalle-Backus Es has 279 students enrolled. It is a public school in Washington, DC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lasalle-Backus Es?
The student-teacher ratio at Lasalle-Backus Es is 8:1, which is 35% lower than the District of Columbia average of 12.3:1 and 49% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lasalle-Backus Es?
The largest demographic group at Lasalle-Backus Es is African American at 50.9% of enrollment, in Washington, DC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lasalle-Backus Es?
Lasalle-Backus Es has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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 Lasalle-Backus Es rank among schools in Washington?
By Resource Investment Index, Lasalle-Backus Es ranks #41 of 154 schools in Washington, DC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Washington on the city page.
Is Lasalle-Backus Es a good school?
Lasalle-Backus Es earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of District of Columbia schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia Public Schools?
Besides Lasalle-Backus Es, District of Columbia Public Schools also operates Jackson-Reed Hs (1,855 students), Columbia Heights Education Campus (1,563 students), and Deal Ms (1,462 students). See the District of Columbia Public Schools district page for the complete list.
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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.