Enrollment
15
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Shelton, WA
Pioneer Virtual Academy
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Virtual Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530675003825
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer Virtual Academy earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. It is also one of the smallest schools in Washington.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Shelton · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 73.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Pioneer Virtual Academy has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Virtual Academy ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Shelton, WA.
School address
District: Pioneer School District · Washington
NCES ID 530675003825 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-15% 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
What stands out at Pioneer Virtual Academy
Pioneer Virtual Academy is a higher-need, small elementary school in Shelton, Washington, enrolling 15 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15:1 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 73.3% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the Washington average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of Washington schools, with 15 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 2,394 Washington schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Shelton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Olympic Middle School (601 students): Pioneer Virtual Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15:1 vs 20:1).
Pioneer School District also operates Pioneer Elementary School (482 students) and Pioneer Middle School (250 students) alongside Pioneer Virtual Academy.
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 Virtual Academy compares
Pioneer Virtual Academy on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▼ 15% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.3% | ▲ 63% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 15 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
15
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 34% in Washington - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
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
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
- 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pioneer School District, which includes Pioneer Virtual Academy.
$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 Virtual Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pioneer Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pioneer Virtual Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 250
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar elementary schools in Shelton
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~15 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer Virtual Academy's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer Virtual Academy 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 Virtual Academy
How many students attend Pioneer Virtual Academy?
Pioneer Virtual Academy has 15 students enrolled. It is an 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 15% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 4% 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 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 (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 Pioneer Virtual Academy rank among elementary schools in Shelton?
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Virtual Academy ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Shelton, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Shelton on the city page.
Is Pioneer Virtual Academy a good school?
Pioneer Virtual Academy earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. It is also one of the smallest schools in Washington. 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 Virtual Academy, Pioneer School District also operates Pioneer Elementary School (482 students) and Pioneer Middle School (250 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.