Enrollment
529
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Port Orchard, WA
Orchard Heights Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Orchard Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530816001353
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orchard Heights Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Washington schools.
- #9 of 10
- schools in Port Orchard · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- small classes for Washington
- 41.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Orchard Heights Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Heights Elementary ranks #9 of 10 schools in Port Orchard, WA.
School address
District: South Kitsap School District · Washington
NCES ID 530816001353 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.3%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orchard Heights Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orchard Heights Elementary
Orchard Heights Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Port Orchard, Washington, enrolling 529 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 41.3% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 529 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 497 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #350.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 490 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Port Orchard's public schools, it stands alongside South Colby Elementary (276 students): Orchard Heights Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.6:1 vs 14.5:1).
South Kitsap School District also operates South Kitsap High School (2,448 students) and John Sedgwick Middle School (731 students) alongside Orchard Heights 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 Orchard Heights Elementary compares
Orchard Heights 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 23% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.3% | ▼ 8% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 529 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
529
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 19% in Washington - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,526
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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 490 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 57.8%
Two or More 17.4%
Hispanic or Latino 14.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.4%
African American 3.2%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Largest group: White at 57.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.2, Orchard Heights Elementary is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Kitsap School District, which includes Orchard Heights Elementary.
$17,526
Per student
-10%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.4%
State 66.8%
Federal 13.8%
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 Orchard Heights Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Kitsap High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Sedgwick Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cedar Heights Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marcus Whitman Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunnyslope Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orchard Heights Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,448
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 689
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Port Orchard
2 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 (~529 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orchard Heights Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Orchard Heights Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- South Kitsap 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 Orchard Heights Elementary
How many students attend Orchard Heights Elementary?
Orchard Heights Elementary has 529 students enrolled. It is a public school in Port Orchard, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard Heights Elementary is 13.6:1, which is 23% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 13% 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 Orchard Heights Elementary?
41.3% of students at Orchard Heights Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orchard Heights Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Orchard Heights Elementary is White at 57.8% of enrollment, in Port Orchard, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard Heights Elementary?
Orchard Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Orchard Heights Elementary rank among schools in Port Orchard?
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Heights Elementary ranks #9 of 10 schools in Port Orchard, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Port Orchard on the city page.
Is Orchard Heights Elementary a good school?
Orchard Heights Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Washington 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 South Kitsap School District?
Besides Orchard Heights Elementary, South Kitsap School District also operates South Kitsap High School (2,448 students), John Sedgwick Middle School (731 students), and Cedar Heights Middle School (689 students). See the South Kitsap 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.