Enrollment
438
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 530870001507
Truman Middle School — Tacoma, WA
Federal NCES profile for Truman Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
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: Tacoma 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Truman Middle 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
Truman Middle School reports 438 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Washington average and 25% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 219 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 56.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tacoma School District spends $23,190 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.2% from local sources (property taxes), 57.0% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 Truman Middle 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 | 18.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.1% | ▼ 13% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 59% | — | — |
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
39.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 74% in Washington — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
56.8%
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
$23,190
per pupil, district-wide
— above Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 219 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 17 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 438 Top 59% in Washington — larger than 41% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 18.9:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.1% -13% vs state
NCES ID 530870001507
Student demographics
White 52.8%
Two or More 18.1%
Hispanic or Latino 14.0%
African American 8.0%
Asian 4.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: White at 52.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 219:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 56.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 51
Expulsions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tacoma School District, which includes Truman Middle School.
$23,190
Per student
+0%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 57.0%
Federal 12.8%
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
- 1,700
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,556
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,410
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar middle schools in Tacoma
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Morris Ford Middle School
Standard public school
831 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Spanaway Middle School
Standard public school
766 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Baker Middle School
Standard public school
687 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Stewart Middle School
Standard public school
650 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Mason Middle School
Standard public school
639 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
First Creek Middle School
Standard public school
584 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
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 Truman Middle School
How many students attend Truman Middle School?
Truman Middle School has 438 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Tacoma, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Truman Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Truman Middle School is 18.9:1, which is 6% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Truman Middle School?
39.1% of students at Truman Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Truman Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Truman Middle School is White at 52.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tacoma, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Truman Middle School?
Truman Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.