Enrollment
214
Wyoming · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 560331000185
Ralph Witters Elementary — Thermopolis, WY
Federal NCES profile for Ralph Witters Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 36
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: Hot Springs County School District #1 · Wyoming
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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 11.7:1 Wyoming avg
-2% 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
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
Ralph Witters Elementary reports 214 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% below the Wyoming state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Wyoming average and 51% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 285 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hot Springs County School District #1 spends $23,951 per pupil district-wide, below the Wyoming average of $24,788 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.8% from local sources (property taxes), 54.4% from the state, and 14.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Ralph Witters Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wyoming state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wyoming | Wyoming avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 2% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.6% | ▼ 7% | 27.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 214 | top 52% | — | — |
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
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
11.5:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 47% in Wyoming — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.7%
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
$23,951
per pupil, district-wide
— below Wyoming avg of $24,788
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.8 FTE
Per 285 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 214 Top 52% in Wyoming — larger than 48% of 351 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 11.5:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.6% -7% vs state
NCES ID 560331000185
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.8
Students per counselor 285:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.7%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hot Springs County School District #1, which includes Ralph Witters Elementary.
$23,951
Per student
-3%
vs Wyoming
Avg $24,788
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 186
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 184
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
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 Ralph Witters Elementary
How many students attend Ralph Witters Elementary?
Ralph Witters Elementary has 214 students enrolled. It is a other school in Thermopolis, WY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ralph Witters Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ralph Witters Elementary is 11.5:1, which is 2% lower than the Wyoming average of 11.7:1 and 28% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Thermopolis, WY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ralph Witters Elementary?
Ralph Witters Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.