Enrollment
211
Wyoming · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buffalo, WY
Meadowlark Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Meadowlark Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 560377000380
👥 S:T ratio 63
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Meadowlark Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Wyoming schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.2:1
- small classes for Wyoming
- 17.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Meadowlark Elementary has class sizes smaller than 73% of Wyoming schools. Computed live against every Wyoming school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Meadowlark Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Buffalo, WY.
School address
District: Johnson County School District #1 · Wyoming
NCES ID 560377000380 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.2:1
vs 11.4:1 Wyoming avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.9%
vs 27.4% Wyoming avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meadowlark Elementary compares with Wyoming and U.S. medians
What stands out at Meadowlark Elementary
Meadowlark Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Buffalo, Wyoming, enrolling 211 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wyoming schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 17.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 211 students, its enrollment sits close to the Wyoming median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 347 scored Wyoming schools.
Against 88 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 211 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Buffalo's elementary schools, it stands alongside Cloud Peak Elementary (225 students): Meadowlark Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.2:1 vs 10.2:1).
Johnson County School District #1 also operates Buffalo High School (317 students) and Clear Creek Middle School (240 students) alongside Meadowlark 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 Meadowlark Elementary compares
Meadowlark Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wyoming and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wyoming | Wyoming avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.2:1 | ▼ 19% | 11.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.9% | ▼ 35% | 27.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 211 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.2:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
211
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% below the Wyoming average of 27.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.2:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 27% in Wyoming - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$19,465
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wyoming avg of $22,313
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 211 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
- 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
White 86.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 86.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.8, Meadowlark Elementary is less mixed than the Wyoming school average of 33.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnson County School District #1, which includes Meadowlark Elementary.
$19,465
Per student
-13%
vs Wyoming
Avg $22,313
+17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 58.8%
Federal 5.1%
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 Meadowlark Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clear Creek Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cloud Peak Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kaycee School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| New West High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Meadowlark Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 317
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 240
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 225
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 115
- Students per teacher
- 6.4:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 29
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary schools in Buffalo
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wyoming, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~211 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Meadowlark Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Meadowlark Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Johnson County School District #1'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 Meadowlark Elementary
How many students attend Meadowlark Elementary?
Meadowlark Elementary has 211 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Buffalo, WY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meadowlark Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Meadowlark Elementary is 9.2:1, which is 19% lower than the Wyoming average of 11.4:1 and 41% 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 Meadowlark Elementary?
17.9% of students at Meadowlark Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wyoming average of 27.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meadowlark Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Meadowlark Elementary is White at 86.3% of enrollment, in Buffalo, WY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meadowlark Elementary?
Meadowlark Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Meadowlark Elementary rank among public schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Meadowlark Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Buffalo, WY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Buffalo on the city page.
Is Meadowlark Elementary a good school?
Meadowlark Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Wyoming 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 Johnson County School District #1?
Besides Meadowlark Elementary, Johnson County School District #1 also operates Buffalo High School (317 students), Clear Creek Middle School (240 students), and Cloud Peak Elementary (225 students). See the Johnson County School District #1 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.