Enrollment
255
Wyoming · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 560569000314
Tongue River Elementary — Ranchester, WY
Federal NCES profile for Tongue River Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 61
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 →
The verdict
Tongue River Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (47/100), with class sizes near the Wyoming median.
- D
- Resource Index · 47/100
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 26.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 255
- students enrolled
School address
District: Sheridan County School District #1 · Wyoming
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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 11.7:1 Wyoming avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.1%
vs 27.4% Wyoming avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tongue River Elementary compares with Wyoming 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
Tongue River Elementary reports 255 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Wyoming state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% below the Wyoming average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 255 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sheridan County School District #1 spends $18,570 per pupil district-wide, below the Wyoming average of $24,788 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.9% from local sources (property taxes), 68.3% from the state, and 5.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 Tongue River Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wyoming state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wyoming | Wyoming avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.8:1 | ▲ 9% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.1% | ▼ 5% | 27.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 255 | top 61% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
13 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 71% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
255 larger than 26% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
26.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% below the Wyoming average of 27.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 65% in Wyoming — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.7%
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
$18,570
per pupil, district-wide
— below Wyoming avg of $24,788
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 255 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 255 Top 61% in Wyoming — larger than 39% of 351 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.1% -5% vs state
NCES ID 560569000314
Student demographics
White 84.3%
Two or More 6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 84.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 255:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.7%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sheridan County School District #1, which includes Tongue River Elementary.
$18,570
Per student
-25%
vs Wyoming
Avg $24,788
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.9%
State 68.3%
Federal 5.8%
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
- 276
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 216
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 169
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Enrollment
- 152
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 134
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Ranchester
1 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 Tongue River Elementary
How many students attend Tongue River Elementary?
Tongue River Elementary has 255 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Ranchester, WY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tongue River Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Tongue River Elementary is 12.8:1, which is 9% higher than the Wyoming average of 11.7:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tongue River Elementary?
26.1% of students at Tongue River Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wyoming average of 27.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tongue River Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Tongue River Elementary is White at 84.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ranchester, WY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tongue River Elementary?
Tongue River Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) 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.