Enrollment
545
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sammamish, WA
Samantha Smith Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Samantha Smith Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530423002216
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Samantha Smith Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #6 of 6
- elementary schools in Sammamish · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 2.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Samantha Smith Elementary has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Samantha Smith Elementary ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Sammamish, WA.
School address
District: Lake Washington School District · Washington
NCES ID 530423002216 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
2.3%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-95% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Samantha Smith Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Samantha Smith Elementary
Samantha Smith Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Sammamish, Washington, enrolling 545 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 2.3% free-meal eligibility runs 95% below the Washington average.
Enrollment of 545 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Among 180 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Washington schools statewide, it ranks #131, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Asian (71%) and White (20%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 545 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Sammamish's elementary schools, it stands alongside Margaret Mead Elementary (580 students): Samantha Smith Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.5:1 vs 18.1:1).
Lake Washington School District also operates Eastlake High School (2,481 students) and Redmond High School (2,304 students) alongside Samantha Smith 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 Samantha Smith Elementary compares
Samantha Smith 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 | 2.3% | ▼ 95% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 545 | top 26% | - | - |
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.
545
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
2.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 95% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; 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
10.8%
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
$16,269
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 545 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
Asian 70.5%
White 20.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Two or More 4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Asian at 70.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.8, Samantha Smith Elementary is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Washington School District, which includes Samantha Smith Elementary.
$16,269
Per student
-17%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.5%
State 58.6%
Federal 5.9%
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 Samantha Smith Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastlake High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Redmond High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Washington High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Juanita High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Inglewood Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Samantha Smith Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,481
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,304
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,081
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,778
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,229
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar elementary schools in Sammamish
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Margaret Mead Elementary
Standard public school
580 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Creekside Elementary
Standard public school
555 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary
Standard public school
478 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Christa Mcauliffe Elementary
Standard public school
472 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Cedar Trails Elementary
Standard public school
374 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~545 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Samantha Smith Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Samantha Smith Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lake Washington 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 Samantha Smith Elementary
How many students attend Samantha Smith Elementary?
Samantha Smith Elementary has 545 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sammamish, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Samantha Smith Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Samantha Smith 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 Samantha Smith Elementary?
2.3% of students at Samantha Smith Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Samantha Smith Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Samantha Smith Elementary is Asian at 70.5% of enrollment, in Sammamish, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Samantha Smith Elementary?
Samantha Smith Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Samantha Smith Elementary rank among elementary schools in Sammamish?
By Resource Investment Index, Samantha Smith Elementary ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Sammamish, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Sammamish on the city page.
Is Samantha Smith Elementary a good school?
Samantha Smith Elementary earns 44/100 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 Lake Washington School District?
Besides Samantha Smith Elementary, Lake Washington School District also operates Eastlake High School (2,481 students), Redmond High School (2,304 students), and Lake Washington High School (2,081 students). See the Lake Washington 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.