Enrollment
1,547
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 530585001208
River Ridge High School — Lacey, WA
Federal NCES profile for River Ridge High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 23
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 38
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: North Thurston Public Schools · 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)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.7%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How River Ridge High School 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
River Ridge High School reports 1,547 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 77.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% below the Washington average and 35% below the national baseline. The school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 309 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding North Thurston Public Schools spends $19,649 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.4% from local sources (property taxes), 61.3% from the state, and 8.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 River Ridge High School 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 | 19.2:1 | ▲ 8% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.7% | ▼ 25% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,547 | top 97% | — | — |
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
33.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.2:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 76% in Washington — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.8%
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
$19,649
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 309 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 40 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,547 Top 97% in Washington — larger than 3% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 77.0
Students per teacher 19.2:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.7% -25% vs state
NCES ID 530585001208
Student demographics
White 34.5%
Hispanic or Latino 27.6%
Two or More 15.0%
Asian 11.3%
African American 6.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
Largest group: White at 34.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 309:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.8%
In-school suspensions 30
Out-of-school suspensions 62
Expulsions 40
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Thurston Public Schools, which includes River Ridge High School.
$19,649
Per student
-15%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 61.3%
Federal 8.3%
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
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,378
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 789
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 765
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
Similar high schools in Lacey
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 River Ridge High School
How many students attend River Ridge High School?
River Ridge High School has 1,547 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lacey, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at River Ridge High School?
The student-teacher ratio at River Ridge High School is 19.2:1, which is 8% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at River Ridge High School?
33.7% of students at River Ridge High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of River Ridge High School?
The largest demographic group at River Ridge High School is White at 34.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lacey, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for River Ridge High School?
River Ridge High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.