Enrollment
482
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Shelton, WA
Pioneer Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530675002457
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Washington schools.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- small classes for Washington
- 57.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 482
- students enrolled
Pioneer Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 75% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Pioneer School District · Washington
NCES ID 530675002457 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.5%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Elementary School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pioneer Elementary School
Pioneer Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Shelton, Washington, enrolling 482 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 57.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 482 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 464 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #150.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 482 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Shelton's public schools, it stands alongside Mountain View Elementary (671 students): Pioneer Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.2:1 vs 16:1).
Pioneer School District also operates Pioneer Middle School (250 students) and Pioneer Virtual Academy (15 students) alongside Pioneer 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 Pioneer Elementary School compares
Pioneer 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 | 14.2:1 | ▼ 19% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.5% | ▲ 28% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 482 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
482
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 25% in Washington - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.4%
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
$16,907
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 482 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 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 66.0%
Hispanic or Latino 23.2%
Two or More 6.8%
African American 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 66.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.5, Pioneer 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 Pioneer School District, which includes Pioneer Elementary School.
$16,907
Per student
-13%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.2%
State 51.5%
Federal 14.3%
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 Pioneer Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pioneer Virtual Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pioneer Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 250
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 15
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar other schools in Shelton
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mountain View Elementary
Standard public school
671 students 16:1 students per teacher
Evergreen Elementary School
Standard public school
378 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Hood Canal Elementary School
Standard public school
337 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Choice Middle and High School
Alternative education program
217 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Mason County Detention Center
Standard public school
1 students 1:1 students per teacher
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 (~482 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Pioneer 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 Pioneer Elementary School
How many students attend Pioneer Elementary School?
Pioneer Elementary School has 482 students enrolled. It is a public school in Shelton, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary School is 14.2:1, which is 19% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 10% 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 Pioneer Elementary School?
57.5% of students at Pioneer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Elementary School is White at 66.0% of enrollment, in Shelton, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Elementary School?
Pioneer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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).
Is Pioneer Elementary School a good school?
Pioneer Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Pioneer School District?
Besides Pioneer Elementary School, Pioneer School District also operates Pioneer Middle School (250 students) and Pioneer Virtual Academy (15 students). See the Pioneer 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.