Enrollment
528
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Port Townsend, WA
Salish Coast Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Salish Coast Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 530684001005
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salish Coast Elementary earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Port Townsend · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 39.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Salish Coast Elementary has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salish Coast Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Port Townsend, WA.
School address
District: Port Townsend School District · Washington
NCES ID 530684001005 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.7%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salish Coast Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salish Coast Elementary
Salish Coast Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Port Townsend, Washington, enrolling 528 students.
At 16.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Washington median, within a few percentage points of the 17.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 39.7% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 528 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 90% of the 2,394 Washington schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 492 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Washington schools statewide, it ranks #20, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (12%) (diversity index 42/100).
10.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 16.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Port Townsend's public schools, it stands alongside Ocean (144 students): Salish Coast Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.5:1 vs 20.6:1).
Port Townsend School District also operates Port Townsend High School (383 students) and Blue Heron Middle School (222 students) alongside Salish Coast 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 Salish Coast Elementary compares
Salish Coast Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.7% | ▼ 12% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 528 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
528
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 51% in Washington - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$17,962
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 74.6%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
Two or More 10.8%
Asian 1.9%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 74.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.8, Salish Coast Elementary is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Port Townsend School District, which includes Salish Coast Elementary.
$17,962
Per student
-8%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 54.3%
Federal 16.4%
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 Salish Coast Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Townsend High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blue Heron Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ocean | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salish Coast Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 222
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
Similar other schools in Port Townsend
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~528 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salish Coast Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Salish Coast Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Port Townsend School District'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 Salish Coast Elementary
How many students attend Salish Coast Elementary?
Salish Coast Elementary has 528 students enrolled. It is a public school in Port Townsend, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salish Coast Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Salish Coast Elementary is 16.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 5% higher 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 Salish Coast Elementary?
39.7% of students at Salish Coast Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salish Coast Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Salish Coast Elementary is White at 74.6% of enrollment, in Port Townsend, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salish Coast Elementary?
Salish Coast Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Salish Coast Elementary rank among public schools in Port Townsend?
By Resource Investment Index, Salish Coast Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Port Townsend, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Port Townsend on the city page.
Is Salish Coast Elementary a good school?
Salish Coast Elementary earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington 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 Port Townsend School District?
Besides Salish Coast Elementary, Port Townsend School District also operates Port Townsend High School (383 students), Blue Heron Middle School (222 students), and Ocean (144 students). See the Port Townsend School District 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.