Enrollment
214
Wyoming · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Thermopolis, WY
Ralph Witters Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ralph Witters Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 560331000185
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ralph Witters Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wyoming median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Thermopolis · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.2:1
- students per teacher
- 25.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Ralph Witters Elementary has class sizes near the Wyoming median. Computed live against every Wyoming school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ralph Witters Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Thermopolis, WY.
School address
District: Hot Springs County School District #1 · Wyoming
NCES ID 560331000185 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 11.4:1 Wyoming avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.6%
vs 27.4% Wyoming avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ralph Witters Elementary compares with Wyoming and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ralph Witters Elementary
Ralph Witters Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Thermopolis, Wyoming, enrolling 214 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wyoming schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 25.6% lands close to the Wyoming typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 214 students, its enrollment sits close to the Wyoming median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 347 scored Wyoming schools.
Against 100 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #51.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 285 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Hot Springs County School District #1 also operates Thermopolis Middle School (186 students) and Hot Springs County High School (184 students) alongside Ralph Witters 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 Ralph Witters Elementary compares
Ralph Witters 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 | 10.2:1 | ▼ 11% | 11.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.6% | ▼ 7% | 27.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 214 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
214
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% below the Wyoming average of 27.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 37% in Wyoming - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.7%
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
$21,418
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wyoming avg of $22,313
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 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 84.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 84.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.5, Ralph Witters Elementary is less mixed than the Wyoming school average of 33.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hot Springs County School District #1, which includes Ralph Witters Elementary.
$21,418
Per student
-4%
vs Wyoming
Avg $22,313
+29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.8%
State 54.4%
Federal 14.8%
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 Ralph Witters Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermopolis Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hot Springs County High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ralph Witters Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 186
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 184
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~214 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ralph Witters Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ralph Witters Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hot Springs County School District #1'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 Ralph Witters Elementary
How many students attend Ralph Witters Elementary?
Ralph Witters Elementary has 214 students enrolled. It is a public school in Thermopolis, WY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ralph Witters Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ralph Witters Elementary is 10.2:1, which is 11% lower than the Wyoming average of 11.4:1 and 35% 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 Ralph Witters Elementary?
25.6% of students at Ralph Witters Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wyoming average of 27.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ralph Witters Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ralph Witters Elementary is White at 84.6% of enrollment, in Thermopolis, WY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ralph Witters Elementary?
Ralph Witters Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Ralph Witters Elementary rank among public schools in Thermopolis?
By Resource Investment Index, Ralph Witters Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Thermopolis, WY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Thermopolis on the city page.
Is Ralph Witters Elementary a good school?
Ralph Witters Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wyoming median. 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 Hot Springs County School District #1?
Besides Ralph Witters Elementary, Hot Springs County School District #1 also operates Thermopolis Middle School (186 students) and Hot Springs County High School (184 students). See the Hot Springs County School District #1 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.