Enrollment
1,787
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 530048001821
Spanaway Lake High School — Spanaway, WA
Federal NCES profile for Spanaway Lake High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 4
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 35
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: Bethel 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)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.7%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spanaway Lake High 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
Spanaway Lake High School reports 1,787 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 76.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% 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 50% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% above the Washington average and 2% below the national baseline. The school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 275 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bethel School District spends $18,928 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.6% from local sources (property taxes), 66.9% from the state, and 8.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Spanaway Lake High 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 | 23.9:1 | ▲ 34% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.7% | ▲ 13% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,787 | top 98% | — | — |
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
50.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.9:1
students per teacher
— 34% above state mean
Top 93% in Washington — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
25.9%
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
$18,928
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.5 FTE
Per 275 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
115
in-school suspensions + 161 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 17 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,787 Top 98% in Washington — larger than 2% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 76.0
Students per teacher 23.9:1 +34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.7% +13% vs state
NCES ID 530048001821
Student demographics
White 28.0%
Hispanic or Latino 24.5%
Two or More 16.8%
African American 13.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 8.9%
Asian 7.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: White at 28.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.5
Students per counselor 275:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.9%
In-school suspensions 115
Out-of-school suspensions 161
Expulsions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bethel School District, which includes Spanaway Lake High School.
$18,928
Per student
-18%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 66.9%
Federal 8.5%
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
- 2,087
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,688
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 765
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
Similar high schools in Spanaway
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Spanaway Lake High School
How many students attend Spanaway Lake High School?
Spanaway Lake High School has 1,787 students enrolled. It is a high school in Spanaway, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spanaway Lake High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Spanaway Lake High School is 23.9:1, which is 34% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spanaway Lake High School?
50.7% of students at Spanaway Lake High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spanaway Lake High School?
The largest demographic group at Spanaway Lake High School is White at 28.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Spanaway, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spanaway Lake High School?
Spanaway Lake High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.