Enrollment
448
Wyoming · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 560451000389
Verda James Elementary — Casper, WY
Federal NCES profile for Verda James Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 47
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: Natrona 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 11.7:1 Wyoming avg
+52% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.4%
vs 27.4% Wyoming avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Verda James 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
Verda James Elementary reports 448 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 52% 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 12% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 14.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% below the Wyoming average and 72% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 560 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Natrona County School District #1 spends $17,459 per pupil district-wide, below the Wyoming average of $24,788 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.6% from local sources (property taxes), 64.3% from the state, and 15.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Verda James 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 52% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.4% | ▼ 47% | 27.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 448 | top 88% | — | — |
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
14.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
— 52% above state mean
Top 97% in Wyoming — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.2%
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
$17,459
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Per 560 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 448 Top 88% in Wyoming — larger than 12% of 351 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 17.8:1 +52% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 14.4% -47% vs state
NCES ID 560451000389
Student demographics
White 80.6%
Hispanic or Latino 11.2%
Two or More 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 80.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.8
Students per counselor 560:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.2%
In-school suspensions 38
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Natrona County School District #1, which includes Verda James Elementary.
$17,459
Per student
-30%
vs Wyoming
Avg $24,788
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.6%
State 64.3%
Federal 15.1%
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
- 2,002
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,703
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Casper
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Summit Elementary School
Standard public school
437 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Paradise Valley Elementary
Standard public school
359 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Ft. Caspar Academy
Standard public school
356 students 14:1 students per teacher
Park Elementary
Standard public school
344 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Southridge Elementary
Standard public school
322 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Manor Heights Elementary
Standard public school
299 students 10:1 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 Verda James Elementary
How many students attend Verda James Elementary?
Verda James Elementary has 448 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Casper, WY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Verda James Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Verda James Elementary is 17.8:1, which is 52% higher than the Wyoming average of 11.7:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Verda James Elementary?
14.4% of students at Verda James Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wyoming average of 27.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Verda James Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Verda James Elementary is White at 80.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Casper, WY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Verda James Elementary?
Verda James Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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.