Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fargo, ND

Washington Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Washington Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 380678000210
0/100100/10055/100
👥 S:T ratio
51
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
42
📋 Attendance
55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Washington Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota median.

#6 of 20
elementary schools in Fargo · Resource Index
55
Resource Index · Higher
12.2:1
students per teacher
17.5%
free-lunch eligible

Washington Elementary School has class sizes near the North Dakota median. Computed live against every North Dakota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Washington Elementary School ranks #6 of 20 elementary schools in Fargo, ND.

School address

Enrollment

292

North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

24.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12.2:1

vs 11.8:1 North Dakota avg

+3% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

17.5%

vs 28.2% North Dakota avg

-38% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Washington Elementary School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians

Slightly above 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 Washington Elementary School

Washington Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Fargo, North Dakota, enrolling 292 students.

At 12.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Dakota median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 17.5% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 292 puts it in the larger third of North Dakota schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 498 scored North Dakota schools.

Against 101 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #17.

Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 35/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 292 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

17.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Fargo's elementary schools, it stands alongside Centennial Elementary School (639 students): Washington Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.2:1 vs 16.4:1).

Fargo 1 also operates Fargo Davies High School (1,277 students) and North High School (1,110 students) alongside Washington Elementary 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 Washington Elementary School compares

Washington Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against North Dakota and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs North Dakota North Dakota avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 12.2:1 ▲ 3% 11.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 17.5% ▼ 38% 28.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 292 top 26% - -

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

12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
292
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
17.5%
free-lunch eligible - 38% below the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher - 3% above state mean
Top 60% in North Dakota - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,941
per pupil, district-wide - below North Dakota avg of $18,450
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 292 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 80.1%
Asian 5.1%
Two or More 4.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
African American 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%

Largest group: White at 80.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 35.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 35.0, Washington Elementary School is more mixed than the North Dakota school average of 29.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fargo 1, which includes Washington Elementary School.

$16,941
Per student
-8%
vs North Dakota
Avg $18,450
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 48.6%
Federal 15.3%

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 Washington Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Fargo Davies High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
North High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Discovery Middle School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
South High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Ben Franklin Middle School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Fargo 1 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Fargo

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Washington Elementary 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 Washington Elementary School

How many students attend Washington Elementary School?

Washington Elementary School has 292 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fargo, ND.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Washington Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Washington Elementary School is 12.2:1, which is 3% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.8:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Washington Elementary School?

17.5% of students at Washington Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Washington Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Washington Elementary School is White at 80.1% of enrollment, in Fargo, ND.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Washington Elementary School?

Washington Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Washington Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Fargo?

By Resource Investment Index, Washington Elementary School ranks #6 of 20 elementary schools in Fargo, ND. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Fargo on the city page.

Is Washington Elementary School a good school?

Washington Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota median. 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 Fargo 1?

Besides Washington Elementary School, Fargo 1 also operates Fargo Davies High School (1,277 students), North High School (1,110 students), and Discovery Middle School (992 students). See the Fargo 1 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.