Enrollment
497
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530048003288
Nelson Elementary School — Graham, WA
Federal NCES profile for Nelson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 71
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 →
The verdict
Nelson Elementary School earns a D Resource Investment Index (44/100), with class sizes near the Washington median.
- D
- Resource Index · 44/100
- 16.8:1
- students per teacher
- 35.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 497
- students enrolled
School address
District: Bethel 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.6%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nelson 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
Nelson Elementary School reports 497 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Washington average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 497 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bethel School District spends $18,928 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.6% from local sources (property taxes), 66.9% from the state, and 8.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), 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 Nelson 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.6% | ▼ 21% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 497 | top 69% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
17 smaller classes than 32% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
497 larger than 61% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
35.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 55% in Washington — lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$18,928
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 497 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 497 Top 69% in Washington — larger than 31% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.6% -21% vs state
NCES ID 530048003288
Student demographics
White 57.9%
Two or More 17.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
African American 4.2%
Asian 3.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 57.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 497:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.5%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bethel School District, which includes Nelson Elementary School.
$18,928
Per student
-18%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 66.9%
Federal 8.5%
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
- 2,087
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,787
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,688
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Graham
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Centennial Elementary
Standard public school
540 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
North Star Elementary
Standard public school
446 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Rocky Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
430 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Graham Elementary
Standard public school
428 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Kapowsin Elementary
Standard public school
321 students 15.3:1 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 Nelson Elementary School
How many students attend Nelson Elementary School?
Nelson Elementary School has 497 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Graham, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nelson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nelson Elementary School is 16.8:1, which is 6% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 6% 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 Nelson Elementary School?
35.6% of students at Nelson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nelson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Nelson Elementary School is White at 57.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Graham, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nelson Elementary School?
Nelson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) 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.