Enrollment
121
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Seattle, WA
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy
Federal NCES profile for Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530034203602Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Washington schools.
- #9 of 13
- schools in Seattle · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.1:1
- small classes for Washington
- 74.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy has class sizes smaller than 95% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rainier Valley Leadership Academy ranks #9 of 13 schools in Seattle, WA.
School address
District: Rainier Valley Leadership Academy · Washington
NCES ID 530034203602 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.5%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rainier Valley Leadership Academy compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rainier Valley Leadership Academy
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Seattle, Washington, enrolling 121 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.1:1, Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is leaner than roughly 95% of Washington schools and 43% under the state's 17.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 74.5% of students qualify for free meals, 66% above the Washington average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 121 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 70 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #31.
Its student body is led by African American (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 121 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 64.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Rainier Valley Leadership Academy spends $27,563 per pupil, 41% above the Washington average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 39 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 121 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Seattle's public schools, it stands alongside Summit Public School: Atlas (566 students): Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.1:1 vs 18.9:1).
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is a single-school charter district, so Rainier Valley Leadership Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Rainier Valley Leadership Academy compares
Rainier Valley Leadership 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 | 10.1:1 | ▼ 43% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.5% | ▲ 66% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 121 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.1:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
121
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% 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
10.1:1
students per teacher
- 43% below state mean
Top 5% in Washington - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
64.5%
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
$27,563
per pupil, district-wide
- above Washington avg of $19,487
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 121 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.2 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
African American 70.2%
Hispanic or Latino 19.8%
Two or More 8.3%
White 0.8%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 70.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.1, Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, which includes Rainier Valley Leadership Academy.
$27,563
Per student
+41%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+66%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.4%
State 60.5%
Federal 20.2%
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.
Similar other schools in Seattle
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Summit Public School: Atlas
Standard public school
566 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
White Center Heights Elementary
Standard public school
527 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Hilltop Elementary
Standard public school
519 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Mount View Elementary
Standard public school
460 students 20:1 students per teacher
Louisa Boren Stem K-8
Standard public school
437 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Beverly Park Elem at Glendale
Standard public school
411 students 18.7:1 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 (~121 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rainier Valley Leadership Academy's federal record.
- Compare Rainier Valley Leadership Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Rainier Valley Leadership Academy'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 Rainier Valley Leadership Academy
How many students attend Rainier Valley Leadership Academy?
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy has 121 students enrolled. It is a public school in Seattle, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rainier Valley Leadership Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is 10.1:1, which is 43% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 36% 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 Rainier Valley Leadership Academy?
74.5% of students at Rainier Valley Leadership Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rainier Valley Leadership Academy?
The largest demographic group at Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is African American at 70.2% of enrollment, in Seattle, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rainier Valley Leadership Academy?
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Rainier Valley Leadership Academy rank among schools in Seattle?
By Resource Investment Index, Rainier Valley Leadership Academy ranks #9 of 13 schools in Seattle, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Seattle on the city page.
Is Rainier Valley Leadership Academy a good school?
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 Rainier Valley Leadership Academy?
None; Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is a single-school charter district, and Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is its only campus.
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.