Enrollment
1,479
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 530771001262
West Seattle High School — Seattle, WA
Federal NCES profile for West Seattle High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 11
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 69
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: Seattle School District No. 1 · 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)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.3%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Seattle High 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
West Seattle High School reports 1,479 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 60.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 40% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 14.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 68% below the Washington average and 72% below the national baseline. The school offers 14 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 493 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Seattle School District No. 1 spends $25,927 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.0% from local sources (property taxes), 50.6% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 West Seattle High 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 | 22.2:1 | ▲ 25% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.3% | ▼ 68% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,479 | top 96% | — | — |
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
14.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 68% 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
22.2:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 90% in Washington — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.5%
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
$25,927
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 493 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,479 Top 96% in Washington — larger than 4% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 60.0
Students per teacher 22.2:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 14.3% -68% vs state
NCES ID 530771001262
Student demographics
White 64.7%
Two or More 12.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.5%
African American 4.7%
Asian 4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 64.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 493:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 31
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Seattle School District No. 1, which includes West Seattle High School.
$25,927
Per student
+12%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.0%
State 50.6%
Federal 9.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,770
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 1,697
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,542
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,507
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,391
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
Similar high schools in Seattle
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Ballard High School
Standard public school
1,697 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt High School
Standard public school
1,542 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Garfield High School
Standard public school
1,507 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Ingraham High School
Standard public school
1,391 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Franklin High School
Standard public school
1,277 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Chief Sealth International High School
Standard public school
1,184 students 19.5:1 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 West Seattle High School
How many students attend West Seattle High School?
West Seattle High School has 1,479 students enrolled. It is a high school in SEATTLE, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Seattle High School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Seattle High School is 22.2:1, which is 25% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Seattle High School?
14.3% of students at West Seattle High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Seattle High School?
The largest demographic group at West Seattle High School is White at 64.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in SEATTLE, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Seattle High School?
West Seattle High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.