Enrollment
427
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530282001767
Panther Lake Elementary School — Federal Way, WA
Federal NCES profile for Panther Lake Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 63
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: Federal Way 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
17.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.6%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Panther Lake 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
Panther Lake Elementary School reports 427 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 81% above the Washington average and 58% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 427 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Federal Way School District spends $21,913 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.9% from local sources (property taxes), 68.0% from the state, and 15.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), 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 Panther Lake 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 | 17.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.6% | ▲ 81% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 427 | top 57% | — | — |
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
81.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 81% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 60% in Washington — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.0%
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
$21,913
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 427 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 427 Top 57% in Washington — larger than 43% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.6% +81% vs state
NCES ID 530282001767
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 32.9%
African American 24.2%
White 13.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 12.7%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 32.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 427:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Federal Way School District, which includes Panther Lake Elementary School.
$21,913
Per student
-5%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.9%
State 68.0%
Federal 15.0%
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
- 1,810
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,665
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 1,412
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,352
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 810
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
Similar other schools in Federal Way
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Wildwood Elementary School
Standard public school
598 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Olympic View Elementary School
Standard public school
547 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Mark Twain Elementary School
Standard public school
531 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Rainier View Elementary School
Standard public school
495 students 16:1 students per teacher
Mirror Lake Elementary School
Standard public school
491 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Enterprise Elementary School
Standard public school
450 students 17.2:1 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 Panther Lake Elementary School
How many students attend Panther Lake Elementary School?
Panther Lake Elementary School has 427 students enrolled. It is a other school in FEDERAL WAY, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Panther Lake Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Panther Lake Elementary School is 17.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 9% 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 Panther Lake Elementary School?
81.6% of students at Panther Lake Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Panther Lake Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Panther Lake Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 32.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in FEDERAL WAY, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Panther Lake Elementary School?
Panther Lake Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.