Enrollment
249
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cowiche, WA
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530351000518
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Washington schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Cowiche · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Washington
- 73.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary has class sizes smaller than 88% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Cowiche, WA.
School address
District: Highland School District · Washington
NCES ID 530351000518 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-30% 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
What stands out at Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cowiche, Washington, enrolling 249 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.4:1, Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary is leaner than roughly 88% of Washington schools and 30% under the state's 17.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 73.1% of students qualify for free meals, 62% above the Washington average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 249 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Among 180 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Washington schools statewide, it ranks #155, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (26%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 498 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 17.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Highland School District also operates Highland High School (366 students) and Highland Junior High School (243 students) alongside Marcus Whitman-Cowiche 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 Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary compares
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 30% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.1% | ▲ 62% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 249 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
249
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 12% in Washington - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$15,923
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
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.
Student-body diversity index 40.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.5, Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland School District, which includes Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary.
$15,923
Per student
-18%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highland Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tieton Intermediate School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~249 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Highland School District'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 Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary
How many students attend Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary?
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary has 249 students enrolled. It is a public 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 12.4:1, which is 30% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 21% 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 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% of enrollment, in Cowiche, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary?
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary rank among public schools in Cowiche?
By Resource Investment Index, Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Cowiche, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Cowiche on the city page.
Is Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary a good school?
Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Highland School District?
Besides Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary, Highland School District also operates Highland High School (366 students), Highland Junior High School (243 students), and Tieton Intermediate School (202 students). See the Highland School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.