Elementary school (grades K-5) · Casper, WY

Poison Spider Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Poison Spider Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 560451000253
0/100100/10030/100
👥 S:T ratio
46
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
5
📋 Attendance
1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Poison Spider Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Wyoming schools.

#11 of 12
elementary schools in Casper · Resource Index
30
Resource Index · Lower
13.6:1
large classes for Wyoming
36.5%
free-lunch eligible

Poison Spider Elementary has class sizes larger than 78% of Wyoming schools. Computed live against every Wyoming school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Poison Spider Elementary ranks #11 of 12 elementary schools in Casper, WY.

Enrollment

190

Wyoming · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

14.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.6:1

vs 11.4:1 Wyoming avg

+19% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

36.5%

vs 27.4% Wyoming avg

+33% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Poison Spider Elementary compares with Wyoming and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Poison Spider Elementary

Poison Spider Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Casper, Wyoming, enrolling 190 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Wyoming schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 36.5% of students eligible for free meals.

With 190 students, its enrollment sits close to the Wyoming median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 347 scored Wyoming schools.

Among 61 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Wyoming schools statewide, it ranks #53, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 475 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Natrona County School District #1 spends $16,139 per pupil, 28% below the Wyoming average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Casper's elementary schools, it stands alongside Verda James Elementary (448 students): Poison Spider Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.6:1 vs 17.9:1).

Natrona County School District #1 also operates Kelly Walsh High School (2,002 students) and Natrona County High School (1,703 students) alongside Poison Spider 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 Poison Spider Elementary compares

Poison Spider Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wyoming and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Wyoming Wyoming avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 13.6:1 ▲ 19% 11.4:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 36.5% ▲ 33% 27.4% 51.7%
Enrollment 190 top 54% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
190
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
36.5%
free-lunch eligible - 33% above the Wyoming average of 27.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher - 19% above state mean
Top 78% in Wyoming - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,139
per pupil, district-wide - below Wyoming avg of $22,313
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.4 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 91.6%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
African American 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
Two or More 0.5%

Largest group: White at 91.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 15.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 15.9, Poison Spider Elementary is less mixed than the Wyoming school average of 33.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Natrona County School District #1, which includes Poison Spider Elementary.

$16,139
Per student
-28%
vs Wyoming
Avg $22,313
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.6%
State 64.3%
Federal 15.1%

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 Poison Spider Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Kelly Walsh High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Natrona County High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
C Y Middle School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Centennial Middle School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Dean Morgan Middle School Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Poison Spider Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Natrona County School District #1 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Casper

6 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 Wyoming, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Poison Spider Elementary's federal record.

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 Poison Spider Elementary

How many students attend Poison Spider Elementary?

Poison Spider Elementary has 190 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Casper, WY.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Poison Spider Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Poison Spider Elementary is 13.6:1, which is 19% higher than the Wyoming average of 11.4:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Poison Spider Elementary?

36.5% of students at Poison Spider Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wyoming average of 27.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poison Spider Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Poison Spider Elementary is White at 91.6% of enrollment, in Casper, WY.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Poison Spider Elementary?

Poison Spider Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Poison Spider Elementary rank among elementary schools in Casper?

By Resource Investment Index, Poison Spider Elementary ranks #11 of 12 elementary schools in Casper, WY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Casper on the city page.

Is Poison Spider Elementary a good school?

Poison Spider Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Wyoming 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 Natrona County School District #1?

Besides Poison Spider Elementary, Natrona County School District #1 also operates Kelly Walsh High School (2,002 students), Natrona County High School (1,703 students), and C Y Middle School (766 students). See the Natrona County School District #1 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.