Enrollment
250
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 440003000005
Sowams Elementary School — Barrington, RI
Federal NCES profile for Sowams Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 68
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: Barrington · Rhode Island
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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 13.4:1 Rhode Island avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.3%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
-89% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sowams Elementary School compares with Rhode Island 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
Sowams Elementary School reports 250 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% above the Rhode Island state mean of 13.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. 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: 4.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 89% below the Rhode Island average and 92% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Barrington spends $18,977 per pupil district-wide, below the Rhode Island average of $22,892 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 75.0% from local sources (property taxes), 19.6% from the state, and 5.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 Sowams Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Rhode Island state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 20% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.3% | ▼ 89% | 39.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 250 | top 23% | — | — |
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
4.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 89% below the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 88% in Rhode Island — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.8%
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
$18,977
per pupil, district-wide
— below Rhode Island avg of $22,892
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 250 Top 23% in Rhode Island — larger than 77% of 309 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 4.3% -89% vs state
NCES ID 440003000005
Student demographics
White 74.8%
Asian 9.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 7.2%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 74.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Barrington, which includes Sowams Elementary School.
$18,977
Per student
-17%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $22,892
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 75.0%
State 19.6%
Federal 5.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,098
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 356
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 329
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Barrington
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Sowams Elementary School
How many students attend Sowams Elementary School?
Sowams Elementary School has 250 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Barrington, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sowams Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sowams Elementary School is 16.1:1, which is 20% higher than the Rhode Island average of 13.4:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sowams Elementary School?
4.3% of students at Sowams Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sowams Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sowams Elementary School is White at 74.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Barrington, RI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sowams Elementary School?
Sowams Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.