High school (grades 9-12) · Lacey, WA

Timberline High School

Federal NCES profile for Timberline High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 530585000872
0/100100/10047/100
👥 S:T ratio
14
📚 AP courses
60
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
44
📋 Attendance
45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Timberline High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Washington schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Washington.

#3 of 4
high schools in Lacey · Resource Index
47
Resource Index · Typical
21.6:1
large classes for Washington
27.0%
free-lunch eligible

Timberline High School has class sizes larger than 86% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Timberline High School ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Lacey, WA.

Enrollment

1,401

Washington · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

65.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

21.6:1

vs 17.6:1 Washington avg

+23% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

27.0%

vs 45.0% Washington avg

-40% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Timberline High School compares with Washington and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Timberline High School

Timberline High School is a large high school in Lacey, Washington, enrolling 1,401 students.

Class loads run heavy: 21.6:1 is larger than about 86% of Washington schools and 23% above the 17.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.0% of students eligible for free meals.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Washington, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,401 students.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.

Against 111 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #53.

Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 71/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 280 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 38 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Lacey's high schools, it stands alongside River Ridge High School (1,547 students): Timberline High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.6:1 vs 20.1:1).

North Thurston Public Schools also operates River Ridge High School (1,547 students) and North Thurston High School (1,378 students) alongside Timberline High 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 Timberline High School compares

Timberline High 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 21.6:1 ▲ 23% 17.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 27.0% ▼ 40% 45.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,401 top 4% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,401
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
27.0%
free-lunch eligible - 40% 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
21.6:1
students per teacher - 23% above state mean
Top 86% in Washington - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,854
per pupil, district-wide - below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 280 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
49
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 38 expulsions.

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 46.0%
Hispanic or Latino 21.9%
Two or More 15.1%
Asian 6.3%
African American 5.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%

Largest group: White at 46.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 70.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 70.9, Timberline High School is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.

Programs

AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Thurston Public Schools, which includes Timberline High School.

$15,854
Per student
-19%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 61.3%
Federal 8.3%

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 Timberline High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
River Ridge High School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
North Thurston High School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Nisqually Middle School Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Mountain View Elementary Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Meadows Elementary Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Timberline High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

North Thurston Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Lacey

3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Timberline High School's federal record.

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 Timberline High School

How many students attend Timberline High School?

Timberline High School has 1,401 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lacey, WA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Timberline High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Timberline High School is 21.6:1, which is 23% higher than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Timberline High School?

27.0% of students at Timberline High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Timberline High School?

The largest demographic group at Timberline High School is White at 46.0% of enrollment, in Lacey, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Timberline High School?

Timberline High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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 Timberline High School rank among high schools in Lacey?

By Resource Investment Index, Timberline High School ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Lacey, 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 Lacey on the city page.

Is Timberline High School a good school?

Timberline High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Washington schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Washington. 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 North Thurston Public Schools?

Besides Timberline High School, North Thurston Public Schools also operates River Ridge High School (1,547 students), North Thurston High School (1,378 students), and Nisqually Middle School (789 students). See the North Thurston Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.