Enrollment
121
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530034203602 Charter school
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy — Seattle, WA
Federal NCES profile for Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 0
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: Rainier Valley Leadership Academy · 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-32% 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
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
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy reports 121 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 32% 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 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 66% above the Washington average and 44% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 121 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 64.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rainier Valley Leadership Academy spends $31,844 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.4% from local sources (property taxes), 60.5% from the state, and 20.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Rainier Valley Leadership 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 32% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.5% | ▲ 66% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 121 | top 20% | — | — |
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
74.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 66% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 32% below state mean
Top 10% in Washington — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
64.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$31,844
per pupil, district-wide
— above Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting 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
Enrollment 121 Top 20% in Washington — larger than 80% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.5% +66% vs state
NCES ID 530034203602
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 121:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 64.5%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, which includes Rainier Valley Leadership Academy.
$31,844
Per student
+37%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+63%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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 15.3:1 students per teacher
White Center Heights Elementary
Standard public school
527 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Hilltop Elementary
Standard public school
519 students 19:1 students per teacher
Mount View Elementary
Standard public school
460 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Louisa Boren Stem K-8
Standard public school
437 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Beverly Park Elem at Glendale
Standard public school
411 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
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 Rainier Valley Leadership Academy
How many students attend Rainier Valley Leadership Academy?
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy has 121 students enrolled. It is a other 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 12.1:1, which is 32% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 24% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Seattle, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rainier Valley Leadership Academy?
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.