Enrollment
15
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530675003825
Pioneer Virtual Academy — Shelton, WA
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Virtual Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 64/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 83
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: Pioneer 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)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.3%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Virtual Academy 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
Pioneer Virtual Academy reports 15 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 1.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 63% above the Washington average and 42% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pioneer School District spends $20,668 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.2% from local sources (property taxes), 51.5% from the state, and 14.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (C+), calculated from 3 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 Pioneer Virtual Academy 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 16% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.3% | ▲ 63% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 15 | top 5% | — | — |
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
73.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 63% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 31% in Washington — lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$20,668
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 15 Top 5% in Washington — larger than 95% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 1.0
Students per teacher 15:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.3% +63% vs state
NCES ID 530675003825
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pioneer School District, which includes Pioneer Virtual Academy.
$20,668
Per student
-11%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 250
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Shelton
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Pioneer Virtual Academy
How many students attend Pioneer Virtual Academy?
Pioneer Virtual Academy has 15 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Shelton, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Virtual Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Virtual Academy is 15:1, which is 16% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 6% lower 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 Pioneer Virtual Academy?
73.3% of students at Pioneer Virtual Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Virtual Academy?
Pioneer Virtual Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.