Enrollment
548
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Des Moines, WA
Midway Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Midway Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530354000537
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Midway Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Des Moines · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.7:1
- students per teacher
- 76.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Midway Elementary has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Midway Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in Des Moines, WA.
School address
District: Highline School District · Washington
NCES ID 530354000537 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.2%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Midway Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Midway Elementary
Midway Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Des Moines, Washington, enrolling 548 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: 76.2% of students qualify for free meals, 69% above the Washington average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 548 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 275 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #162.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (44%) and African American (19%) (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 274 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
15.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Des Moines's public schools, it stands alongside Parkside Elementary (535 students): Midway Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.7:1 vs 24.3:1).
Highline School District also operates Mount Rainier High School (1,846 students) and Highline High School (1,423 students) alongside Midway 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 Midway Elementary compares
Midway Elementary 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 | 76.2% | ▲ 69% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 548 | top 25% | - | - |
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.
548
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% 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
15.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$19,077
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 274 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 43.5%
African American 18.5%
Asian 17.7%
White 9.7%
Two or More 6.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.0, Midway Elementary is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highline School District, which includes Midway Elementary.
$19,077
Per student
-2%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 55.7%
Federal 14.6%
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 Midway Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Rainier High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highline High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Evergreen High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Glacier Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cascade Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Midway Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,423
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,080
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 803
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar other schools in Des Moines
3 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.
Similar enrollment (~548 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Midway Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Midway Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Highline School District'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 Midway Elementary
How many students attend Midway Elementary?
Midway Elementary has 548 students enrolled. It is a public school in Des Moines, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Midway Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Midway Elementary 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 Midway Elementary?
76.2% of students at Midway Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Midway Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Midway Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 43.5% of enrollment, in Des Moines, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Midway Elementary?
Midway Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical 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 Midway Elementary rank among schools in Des Moines?
By Resource Investment Index, Midway Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in Des Moines, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Des Moines on the city page.
Is Midway Elementary a good school?
Midway Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. 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 Highline School District?
Besides Midway Elementary, Highline School District also operates Mount Rainier High School (1,846 students), Highline High School (1,423 students), and Evergreen High School (1,080 students). See the Highline School District 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.