Enrollment
329
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530870001506
Skyline Elementary School — Tacoma, WA
Federal NCES profile for Skyline Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 0
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: 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.7%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Skyline 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
Skyline Elementary School reports 329 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Washington average and 19% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 329 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 36/100 (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 Skyline 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.7% | ▼ 7% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 329 | top 41% | — | — |
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
41.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 37% in Washington — lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.2%
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
$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 329 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 329 Top 41% in Washington — larger than 59% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.7% -7% vs state
NCES ID 530870001506
Student demographics
White 49.2%
Two or More 19.8%
Hispanic or Latino 17.6%
African American 9.1%
Asian 3.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 49.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 329:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.2%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tacoma School District, which includes Skyline 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 other schools in Tacoma
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Columbia Junior High School
Standard public school
619 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Sheridan Elementary School
Standard public school
525 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Geiger Montessori School
Standard public school
521 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Boze Elementary School
Standard public school
485 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Brookdale Elementary
Standard public school
483 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Birney Elementary School
Standard public school
476 students 15:1 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 Skyline Elementary School
How many students attend Skyline Elementary School?
Skyline Elementary School has 329 students enrolled. It is a other school in Tacoma, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Skyline Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Skyline Elementary School is 15.5:1, which is 13% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 3% lower 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 Skyline Elementary School?
41.7% of students at Skyline Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Skyline Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Skyline Elementary School is White at 49.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tacoma, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Skyline Elementary School?
Skyline Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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.