Enrollment
323
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 530723001084
Sierra Heights Elementary School — Renton, WA
Federal NCES profile for Sierra Heights Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 53
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: Renton 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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.7%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sierra Heights 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
Sierra Heights Elementary School reports 323 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Washington average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 323 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Renton School District spends $23,254 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.7% from local sources (property taxes), 56.5% from the state, and 9.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), 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 Sierra Heights 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 | 16.1:1 | ▼ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.7% | ▼ 21% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 323 | top 40% | — | — |
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
35.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 45% in Washington — lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.6%
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
$23,254
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 323 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
Enrollment 323 Top 40% in Washington — larger than 60% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.7% -21% vs state
NCES ID 530723001084
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.3%
White 21.7%
Asian 17.0%
Two or More 9.9%
African American 7.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 323:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Renton School District, which includes Sierra Heights Elementary School.
$23,254
Per student
+0%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.7%
State 56.5%
Federal 9.8%
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
- 1,796
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,201
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 913
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 811
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
Similar elementary schools in Renton
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Kennydale Elementary School
Standard public school
511 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Sartori Elementary School
Standard public school
510 students 18:1 students per teacher
Benson Hill Elementary School
Standard public school
477 students 19:1 students per teacher
Talbot Hill Elementary School
Standard public school
445 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Cascade Elementary School
Standard public school
434 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Maplewood Heights Elementary School
Standard public school
395 students 17.4:1 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 Sierra Heights Elementary School
How many students attend Sierra Heights Elementary School?
Sierra Heights Elementary School has 323 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Renton, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sierra Heights Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sierra Heights Elementary School is 16.1:1, which is 10% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 1% higher 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 Sierra Heights Elementary School?
35.7% of students at Sierra Heights Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sierra Heights Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sierra Heights Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 43.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Renton, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sierra Heights Elementary School?
Sierra Heights Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) 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.