Enrollment
432
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530870001501
Sherman Elementary School — Tacoma, WA
Federal NCES profile for Sherman Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
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 →
The verdict
Sherman Elementary School earns an F Resource Investment Index (34/100), with class sizes larger than 81% of Washington schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 34/100
- 20.1:1
- large classes for Washington
- 10.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 432
- students enrolled
School address
District: Tacoma School District · 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.6%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sherman Elementary 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
Sherman Elementary School reports 432 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 26% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 10.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 76% below the Washington average and 80% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 432 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tacoma School District spends $23,190 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.2% from local sources (property taxes), 57.0% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Sherman Elementary 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 | 20.1:1 | ▲ 13% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.6% | ▼ 76% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 432 | top 58% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
20 smaller classes than 15% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
432 larger than 52% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
10.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 76% 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
20.1:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 81% in Washington — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$23,190
per pupil, district-wide
— above Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 432 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 432 Top 58% in Washington — larger than 42% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 20.1:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 10.6% -76% vs state
NCES ID 530870001501
Student demographics
White 73.1%
Two or More 11.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.1%
Asian 3.0%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 73.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 432:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tacoma School District, which includes Sherman Elementary School.
$23,190
Per student
+0%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 57.0%
Federal 12.8%
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
- 1,700
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,556
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,410
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Tacoma
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Fife Elementary School
Standard public school
866 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Clover Creek Elementary
Standard public school
617 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Katherine G. Johnson Elementary School
Standard public school
592 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Naches Trail Elementary
Standard public school
519 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Crescent Heights Elementary School
Standard public school
451 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harvard Elementary
Standard public school
445 students 13.6:1 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 Sherman Elementary School
How many students attend Sherman Elementary School?
Sherman Elementary School has 432 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Tacoma, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sherman Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sherman Elementary School is 20.1:1, which is 13% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sherman Elementary School?
10.6% of students at Sherman Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sherman Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sherman Elementary School is White at 73.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tacoma, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sherman Elementary School?
Sherman Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.