Enrollment
289
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530771001143
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School — Seattle, WA
Federal NCES profile for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 81
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: Seattle School District No. 1 · 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.5%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School 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
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School reports 289 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% above the Washington average and 21% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Seattle School District No. 1 spends $25,927 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.0% from local sources (property taxes), 50.6% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), calculated from 3 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 Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 21% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.5% | ▲ 39% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 289 | top 35% | — | — |
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
62.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 20% in Washington — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
7.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$25,927
per pupil, district-wide
— above Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 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
Enrollment 289 Top 35% in Washington — larger than 65% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.5% +39% vs state
NCES ID 530771001143
Student demographics
African American 49.5%
Asian 17.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.6%
Two or More 9.0%
White 6.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 49.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Seattle School District No. 1, which includes Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School.
$25,927
Per student
+12%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.0%
State 50.6%
Federal 9.3%
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
- 1,770
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 1,697
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,542
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,507
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,479
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
Similar other schools in Seattle
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Broadview-Thomson K-8 School
Standard public school
581 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
South Shore Pk-8 School
Standard public school
546 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Lafayette Elementary School
Standard public school
532 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Thurgood Marshall Elementary
Standard public school
500 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Arbor Heights Elementary School
Standard public school
495 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Olympic Hills Elementary School
Standard public school
486 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
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 Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School
How many students attend Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School?
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School has 289 students enrolled. It is a other school in SEATTLE, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 21% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 11% lower 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 Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School?
62.5% of students at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School is African American at 49.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in SEATTLE, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School?
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.