Enrollment
165
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Seattle, WA
The Center School
Federal NCES profile for The Center School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 530771002842
👥 S:T ratio 53
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 67
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Center School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Washington schools.
- #3 of 14
- high schools in Seattle · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Washington
- 17.6%
- free-lunch eligible
The Center School has class sizes smaller than 90% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Center School ranks #3 of 14 high schools in Seattle, WA.
School address
District: Seattle School District No. 1 · Washington
NCES ID 530771002842 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.6%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Center School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Center School
The Center School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Seattle, Washington, enrolling 165 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.8:1, The Center School is leaner than roughly 90% of Washington schools and 33% under the state's 17.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.6% free-meal eligibility runs 61% below the Washington average.
Enrollment of 165 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 2,394 Washington schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 60 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 45/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 165 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Seattle's high schools, it stands alongside Lincoln High School (1,770 students): The Center School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.8:1 vs 24.6:1).
Seattle School District No. 1 also operates Lincoln High School (1,770 students) and Ballard High School (1,697 students) alongside The Center School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How The Center School compares
The Center School on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 33% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.6% | ▼ 61% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 165 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
165
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 10% in Washington - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$20,430
per pupil, district-wide
- above Washington avg of $19,487
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 165 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 72.2%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 10.5%
African American 2.3%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Largest group: White at 72.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.1, The Center School is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Seattle School District No. 1, which includes The Center School.
$20,430
Per student
+5%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.0%
State 50.6%
Federal 9.3%
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.
How The Center School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ballard High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Garfield High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Seattle High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Center School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,770
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,697
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,542
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,507
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,479
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar high schools in Seattle
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Lincoln High School
Standard public school
1,770 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Evergreen High School
Standard public school
1,080 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Summit Public School: Sierra
Standard public school
214 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
New Start
Alternative education program
142 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Interagency Open Doors
Alternative education program
132 students
Puget Sound Skills Center
Vocational / career-technical school
3 students
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~165 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Center School's federal record.
- Compare The Center School against another school. Compare schools
- Seattle School District No. 1's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about The Center School
How many students attend The Center School?
The Center School has 165 students enrolled. It is a high school in Seattle, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Center School?
The student-teacher ratio at The Center School is 11.8:1, which is 33% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Center School?
17.6% of students at The Center School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Center School?
The largest demographic group at The Center School is White at 72.2% of enrollment, in Seattle, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Center School?
The Center School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does The Center School rank among high schools in Seattle?
By Resource Investment Index, The Center School ranks #3 of 14 high schools in Seattle, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Seattle on the city page.
Is The Center School a good school?
The Center School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Washington schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Seattle School District No. 1?
Besides The Center School, Seattle School District No. 1 also operates Lincoln High School (1,770 students), Ballard High School (1,697 students), and Roosevelt High School (1,542 students). See the Seattle School District No. 1 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.