Other / mixed grade configuration · Federal Way, WA

Mark Twain Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Mark Twain Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530282001835
0/100100/10040/100
👥 S:T ratio
29
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mark Twain Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Washington schools.

#4 of 13
schools in Federal Way · Resource Index
40
Resource Index · Typical
17.7:1
students per teacher
86.5%
free-lunch eligible

Mark Twain Elementary School has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mark Twain Elementary School ranks #4 of 13 schools in Federal Way, WA.

Enrollment

531

Washington · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

30.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.7:1

vs 17.6:1 Washington avg

+1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

86.5%

vs 45.0% Washington avg

+92% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Mark Twain Elementary School compares with Washington and U.S. medians

Slightly above 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 Mark Twain Elementary School

Mark Twain Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Federal Way, Washington, enrolling 531 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 86.5% of students qualify for free meals, 92% above the Washington average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 531 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.

Among 142 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Washington schools statewide, it ranks #103, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (30%) and Asian (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 79/100).

15.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Federal Way's public schools, it stands alongside Technology Access Foundation Academy at Saghalie (532 students): Mark Twain Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.7:1 vs 14.8:1).

Federal Way School District also operates Thomas Jefferson High School (1,810 students) and Federal Way High School (1,665 students) alongside Mark Twain Elementary School.

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 Mark Twain Elementary School compares

Mark Twain Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Washington Washington avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.7:1 ▲ 1% 17.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 86.5% ▲ 92% 45.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 531 top 27% - -

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

17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
531
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
86.5%
free-lunch eligible - 92% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher - 1% above state mean
Top 62% in Washington - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$17,122
per pupil, district-wide - below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 30.1%
Asian 22.6%
African American 20.3%
Two or More 12.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 7.3%
White 7.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 30.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 79.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 79.1, Mark Twain Elementary School is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Federal Way School District, which includes Mark Twain Elementary School.

$17,122
Per student
-12%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.9%
State 68.0%
Federal 15.0%

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 Mark Twain Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Thomas Jefferson High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Federal Way High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Todd Beamer High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Decatur High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Evergreen Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Federal Way School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Federal Way

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Mark Twain Elementary School'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 Mark Twain Elementary School

How many students attend Mark Twain Elementary School?

Mark Twain Elementary School has 531 students enrolled. It is a public school in Federal Way, WA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mark Twain Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Mark Twain Elementary School is 17.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mark Twain Elementary School?

86.5% of students at Mark Twain Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mark Twain Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Mark Twain Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 30.1% of enrollment, in Federal Way, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 79.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mark Twain Elementary School?

Mark Twain Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Mark Twain Elementary School rank among schools in Federal Way?

By Resource Investment Index, Mark Twain Elementary School ranks #4 of 13 schools in Federal Way, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Federal Way on the city page.

Is Mark Twain Elementary School a good school?

Mark Twain Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Federal Way School District?

Besides Mark Twain Elementary School, Federal Way School District also operates Thomas Jefferson High School (1,810 students), Federal Way High School (1,665 students), and Todd Beamer High School (1,412 students). See the Federal Way School District 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.