Enrollment
366
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530696001035
Meeker Elementary — Puyallup, WA
Federal NCES profile for Meeker Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 80
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: Puyallup 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.7%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meeker 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
Meeker Elementary reports 366 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% below the Washington average and 23% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 366 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Puyallup School District spends $18,479 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.4% from local sources (property taxes), 64.7% from the state, and 9.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Meeker 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.7% | ▼ 12% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 366 | top 47% | — | — |
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
39.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 44% in Washington — lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$18,479
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 366 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 366 Top 47% in Washington — larger than 53% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.7% -12% vs state
NCES ID 530696001035
Student demographics
White 54.1%
Two or More 14.8%
Hispanic or Latino 12.0%
African American 7.4%
Asian 6.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 54.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 366:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Puyallup School District, which includes Meeker Elementary.
$18,479
Per student
-20%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.4%
State 64.7%
Federal 9.9%
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
- 1,815
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,788
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 1,599
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 919
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Puyallup
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Pope Elementary
Standard public school
710 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Shaw Road Elementary
Standard public school
615 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Woodland Elementary
Standard public school
606 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Firgrove Elementary
Standard public school
593 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Fruitland Elementary
Standard public school
566 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Frank Brouillet Elem
Standard public school
541 students 17.8:1 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 Meeker Elementary
How many students attend Meeker Elementary?
Meeker Elementary has 366 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Puyallup, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meeker Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Meeker Elementary is 16:1, which is 10% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 1% higher 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 Meeker Elementary?
39.7% of students at Meeker Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meeker Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Meeker Elementary is White at 54.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Puyallup, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meeker Elementary?
Meeker Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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.