Enrollment
467
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530732001099
Marcus Whitman Elementary — Richland, WA
Federal NCES profile for Marcus Whitman Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 65
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 →
The verdict
Marcus Whitman Elementary earns a C- Resource Investment Index (54/100), with class sizes near the Washington median.
- C-
- Resource Index · 54/100
- 17.9:1
- students per teacher
- 56.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 467
- students enrolled
School address
District: Richland 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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.4%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Marcus Whitman 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 Elementary reports 467 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% above the Washington average and 9% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 234 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richland School District spends $18,933 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.0% from local sources (property taxes), 65.7% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 1% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.4% | ▲ 25% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 467 | top 64% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
18 smaller classes than 25% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
467 larger than 57% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
56.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% 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
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 66% in Washington — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.1%
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
$18,933
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 234 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 467 Top 64% in Washington — larger than 36% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.4% +25% vs state
NCES ID 530732001099
Student demographics
White 61.5%
Hispanic or Latino 31.0%
Two or More 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 61.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 234:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.1%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland School District, which includes Marcus Whitman Elementary.
$18,933
Per student
-18%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.0%
State 65.7%
Federal 10.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,218
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,959
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 791
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 33:1
Similar elementary schools in Richland
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Elementary
How many students attend Marcus Whitman Elementary?
Marcus Whitman Elementary has 467 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Richland, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Marcus Whitman Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Marcus Whitman Elementary is 17.9:1, which is 1% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Marcus Whitman Elementary?
56.4% of students at Marcus Whitman Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marcus Whitman Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Marcus Whitman Elementary is White at 61.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Richland, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marcus Whitman Elementary?
Marcus Whitman Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) 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.