Enrollment
525
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cheney, WA
Phil Snowdon Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Phil Snowdon Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530123003413
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Phil Snowdon Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Cheney · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 43.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Phil Snowdon Elementary has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Phil Snowdon Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Cheney, WA.
School address
District: Cheney School District · Washington
NCES ID 530123003413 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.2%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Phil Snowdon Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Phil Snowdon Elementary
Phil Snowdon Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cheney, Washington, enrolling 525 students.
At 16.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Washington median, within a few percentage points of the 17.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.2% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 525 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 495 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #277.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 525 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Cheney School District spends $14,274 per pupil, 27% below the Washington average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Cheney's public schools, it stands alongside Homeworks (145 students): Phil Snowdon Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount.
Cheney School District also operates Cheney High School (1,491 students) and Cheney Middle School (637 students) alongside Phil Snowdon 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 Phil Snowdon Elementary compares
Phil Snowdon 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 7% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.2% | ▼ 4% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 525 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
525
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 50% in Washington - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,274
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 525 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 71.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 6.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.8%
African American 2.1%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: White at 71.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.2, Phil Snowdon Elementary is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cheney School District, which includes Phil Snowdon Elementary.
$14,274
Per student
-27%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.2%
State 65.4%
Federal 11.4%
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 Phil Snowdon Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheney High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cheney Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sunset Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Westwood Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Windsor Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Phil Snowdon Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,491
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 637
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 624
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 549
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools in Cheney
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 (~525 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Phil Snowdon Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Phil Snowdon Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Cheney 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 Phil Snowdon Elementary
How many students attend Phil Snowdon Elementary?
Phil Snowdon Elementary has 525 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cheney, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Phil Snowdon Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Phil Snowdon Elementary is 16.4:1, which is 7% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 4% higher 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 Phil Snowdon Elementary?
43.2% of students at Phil Snowdon Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Phil Snowdon Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Phil Snowdon Elementary is White at 71.0% of enrollment, in Cheney, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Phil Snowdon Elementary?
Phil Snowdon Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Phil Snowdon Elementary rank among schools in Cheney?
By Resource Investment Index, Phil Snowdon Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Cheney, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cheney on the city page.
Is Phil Snowdon Elementary a good school?
Phil Snowdon Elementary earns 43/100 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 Cheney School District?
Besides Phil Snowdon Elementary, Cheney School District also operates Cheney High School (1,491 students), Cheney Middle School (637 students), and Sunset Elementary (634 students). See the Cheney 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.