Enrollment
647
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chehalis, WA
Orin C Smith Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Orin C Smith Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530117003655
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orin C Smith Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #3 of 8
- public schools in Chehalis · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18:1
- students per teacher
- 46.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Orin C Smith Elementary School has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orin C Smith Elementary School ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Chehalis, WA.
School address
District: Chehalis School District · Washington
NCES ID 530117003655 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.9%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orin C Smith Elementary School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orin C Smith Elementary School
Orin C Smith Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Chehalis, Washington, enrolling 647 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18:1 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 46.9% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 647 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 428 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #67.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 44/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Chehalis School District also operates W F West High School (950 students) and Chehalis Middle School (692 students) alongside Orin C Smith Elementary School.
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 Orin C Smith Elementary School compares
Orin C Smith Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18:1 | ▲ 2% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.9% | ▲ 4% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 647 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
647
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 65% in Washington - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,312
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 72.0%
Hispanic or Latino 19.9%
Two or More 5.4%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 72.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.9, Orin C Smith Elementary School is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chehalis School District, which includes Orin C Smith Elementary School.
$16,312
Per student
-16%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.4%
State 64.0%
Federal 16.6%
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 Orin C Smith Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| W F West High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chehalis Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James W Lintott Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Green Hill Academic School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lewis County Alternative School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orin C Smith Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 950
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 163
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar elementary 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 (~647 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orin C Smith Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Orin C Smith Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Chehalis 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 Orin C Smith Elementary School
How many students attend Orin C Smith Elementary School?
Orin C Smith Elementary School has 647 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chehalis, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orin C Smith Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Orin C Smith Elementary School is 18:1, which is 2% higher than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Orin C Smith Elementary School?
46.9% of students at Orin C Smith Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orin C Smith Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Orin C Smith Elementary School is White at 72.0% of enrollment, in Chehalis, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orin C Smith Elementary School?
Orin C Smith Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Orin C Smith Elementary School rank among public schools in Chehalis?
By Resource Investment Index, Orin C Smith Elementary School ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Chehalis, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Chehalis on the city page.
Is Orin C Smith Elementary School a good school?
Orin C Smith Elementary School earns 50/100 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 Chehalis School District?
Besides Orin C Smith Elementary School, Chehalis School District also operates W F West High School (950 students), Chehalis Middle School (692 students), and James W Lintott Elementary School (634 students). See the Chehalis 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.