Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lacey, WA

Lydia Hawk Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Lydia Hawk Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530585000866
0/100100/10027/100
👥 S:T ratio
45
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
1
📋 Attendance
31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Lydia Hawk Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 79% of Washington schools.

#7 of 9
elementary schools in Lacey · Resource Index
27
Resource Index · Lower
13.8:1
small classes for Washington
67.0%
free-lunch eligible

Lydia Hawk Elementary has class sizes smaller than 79% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Lydia Hawk Elementary ranks #7 of 9 elementary schools in Lacey, WA.

Enrollment

496

Washington · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

36.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.8:1

vs 17.6:1 Washington avg

-22% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

67.0%

vs 45.0% Washington avg

+49% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Lydia Hawk Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Lydia Hawk Elementary

Lydia Hawk Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Lacey, Washington, enrolling 496 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 496 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 2,394 Washington schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 420 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Washington schools statewide, it ranks #399, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (44%) and White (27%) (diversity index 70/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 496 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Lacey's elementary schools, it stands alongside Horizons Elementary (580 students): Lydia Hawk Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.8:1 vs 20.7:1).

North Thurston Public Schools also operates River Ridge High School (1,547 students) and Timberline High School (1,401 students) alongside Lydia Hawk Elementary.

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 Lydia Hawk Elementary compares

Lydia Hawk Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Washington Washington avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 13.8:1 ▼ 22% 17.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 67.0% ▲ 49% 45.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 496 top 32% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
496
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
67.0%
free-lunch eligible - 49% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher - 22% below state mean
Top 21% in Washington - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.6%
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
$15,854
per pupil, district-wide - below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 496 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.

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

Hispanic or Latino 44.4%
White 27.3%
Two or More 13.7%
Asian 5.3%
African American 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 70.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 70.3, Lydia Hawk Elementary is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Thurston Public Schools, which includes Lydia Hawk Elementary.

$15,854
Per student
-19%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 61.3%
Federal 8.3%

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 Lydia Hawk Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
River Ridge High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Timberline High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
North Thurston High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Nisqually Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mountain View Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Lydia Hawk Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

North Thurston Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Lacey

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Lydia Hawk Elementary's federal record.

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 Lydia Hawk Elementary

How many students attend Lydia Hawk Elementary?

Lydia Hawk Elementary has 496 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lacey, WA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Lydia Hawk Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Lydia Hawk Elementary is 13.8:1, which is 22% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lydia Hawk Elementary?

67.0% of students at Lydia Hawk Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lydia Hawk Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Lydia Hawk Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 44.4% of enrollment, in Lacey, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Lydia Hawk Elementary?

Lydia Hawk Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Lydia Hawk Elementary rank among elementary schools in Lacey?

By Resource Investment Index, Lydia Hawk Elementary ranks #7 of 9 elementary schools in Lacey, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Lacey on the city page.

Is Lydia Hawk Elementary a good school?

Lydia Hawk Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 79% of Washington 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 North Thurston Public Schools?

Besides Lydia Hawk Elementary, North Thurston Public Schools also operates River Ridge High School (1,547 students), Timberline High School (1,401 students), and North Thurston High School (1,378 students). See the North Thurston Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.