Enrollment
336
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 317158001057
Raymond a Watson Elem School — Hastings, NE
Federal NCES profile for Raymond a Watson Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 55
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: Hastings Public Schools · Nebraska
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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.2%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Raymond a Watson Elem School compares with Nebraska 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
Raymond a Watson Elem School reports 336 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% below the Nebraska average and 44% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 336 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hastings Public Schools spends $14,277 per pupil district-wide, below the Nebraska average of $20,313 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.4% from local sources (property taxes), 50.3% from the state, and 13.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Raymond a Watson Elem School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nebraska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.2% | ▼ 6% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 336 | top 66% | — | — |
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
29.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 41% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,277
per pupil, district-wide
— below Nebraska avg of $20,313
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 336 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 336 Top 66% in Nebraska — larger than 34% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.2% -6% vs state
NCES ID 317158001057
Student demographics
White 66.4%
Hispanic or Latino 23.8%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 1.5%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 66.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 336:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.2%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hastings Public Schools, which includes Raymond a Watson Elem School.
$14,277
Per student
-30%
vs Nebraska
Avg $20,313
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.4%
State 50.3%
Federal 13.3%
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
- 991
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 757
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Enrollment
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 305
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
Similar other schools in Hastings
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Adams Central Elementary School
Standard public school
506 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Morton Early Learning Center
Standard public school
501 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Adams Central Jr-Sr High Sch
Standard public school
452 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Hawthorne Elementary School
Standard public school
343 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Longfellow Elementary School
Standard public school
305 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Elementary School
Standard public school
289 students 11.5:1 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 Raymond a Watson Elem School
How many students attend Raymond a Watson Elem School?
Raymond a Watson Elem School has 336 students enrolled. It is a other school in HASTINGS, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Raymond a Watson Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Raymond a Watson Elem School is 12.3:1, which is 10% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 23% 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 Raymond a Watson Elem School?
29.2% of students at Raymond a Watson Elem School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Raymond a Watson Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Raymond a Watson Elem School is White at 66.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in HASTINGS, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Raymond a Watson Elem School?
Raymond a Watson Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.