Enrollment
249
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530351000518
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary — Cowiche, WA
Federal NCES profile for Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 46
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: Highland 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary 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
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary reports 249 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 62% above the Washington average and 41% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 498 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Highland School District spends $16,726 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.9% from local sources (property taxes), 68.7% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 8% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.1% | ▲ 62% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 249 | top 31% | — | — |
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
73.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 62% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 49% in Washington — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$16,726
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 498 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 249 Top 31% in Washington — larger than 69% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.1% +62% vs state
NCES ID 530351000518
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 72.7%
White 25.7%
Two or More 0.8%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 498:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland School District, which includes Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary.
$16,726
Per student
-28%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.9%
State 68.7%
Federal 17.4%
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
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
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 Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary
How many students attend Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary?
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary has 249 students enrolled. It is a other school in Cowiche, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary is 16.4:1, which is 8% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 3% 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 Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary?
73.1% of students at Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 72.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cowiche, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary?
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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.