Enrollment
333
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Kelso, WA
Wallace Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Wallace Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530000300596
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wallace Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Washington schools.
- #2 of 6
- elementary schools in Kelso · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- small classes for Washington
- 85.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Wallace Elementary has class sizes smaller than 72% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wallace Elementary ranks #2 of 6 elementary schools in Kelso, WA.
School address
District: Kelso School District · Washington
NCES ID 530000300596 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+89% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wallace Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wallace Elementary
Wallace Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Kelso, Washington, enrolling 333 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 85.1% of students qualify for free meals, 89% above the Washington average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 333 students, its enrollment sits close to the Washington median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 146 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #45.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 333 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Kelso's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lexington Elementary (854 students): Wallace Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.5:1 vs 17.1:1).
Kelso School District also operates Kelso High School (1,390 students) and Lexington Elementary (854 students) alongside Wallace Elementary.
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 Wallace Elementary compares
Wallace Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▼ 18% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.1% | ▲ 89% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 333 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
333
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 89% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 28% in Washington - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,945
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 333 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 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 58.9%
Hispanic or Latino 27.3%
Two or More 6.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 58.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, Wallace Elementary is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kelso School District, which includes Wallace Elementary.
$15,945
Per student
-18%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.1%
State 73.0%
Federal 12.9%
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 Wallace Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelso High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lexington Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Huntington Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coweeman Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Butler Acres Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wallace Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,390
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 559
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 426
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools in Kelso
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lexington Elementary
Standard public school
854 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Butler Acres Elementary
Standard public school
426 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Barnes Elementary
Standard public school
343 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Rose Valley Elementary
Standard public school
186 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Carrolls Elementary
Standard public school
107 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~333 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wallace Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Wallace Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Kelso School District'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 Wallace Elementary
How many students attend Wallace Elementary?
Wallace Elementary has 333 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Kelso, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wallace Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Wallace Elementary is 14.5:1, which is 18% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 8% 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 Wallace Elementary?
85.1% of students at Wallace Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wallace Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Wallace Elementary is White at 58.9% of enrollment, in Kelso, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wallace Elementary?
Wallace Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Wallace Elementary rank among elementary schools in Kelso?
By Resource Investment Index, Wallace Elementary ranks #2 of 6 elementary schools in Kelso, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Kelso on the city page.
Is Wallace Elementary a good school?
Wallace Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% 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 Kelso School District?
Besides Wallace Elementary, Kelso School District also operates Kelso High School (1,390 students), Lexington Elementary (854 students), and Huntington Middle School (559 students). See the Kelso School District 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.