Is Custer Elementary a good school?

Custer Elementary ranks 526 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Custer Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 367 students attended Custer Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Custer Elementary?

Students at Custer Elementary are 72% White, 22% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Custer Elementary attend?

Students who attend Custer Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Horizon Middle School High : Ferndale High School

Custer Elementary

Summary:

Custer Elementary is a public elementary school located in Custer, Washington, serving 329 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Ferndale School District, which is ranked 150 out of 247 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Custer Elementary stands out for its higher percentage of White students (69.91%) compared to the state average (52.63%), as well as its significant Hispanic student population (20.36%). Academically, the school performs better than the Ferndale School District average in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, with proficiency rates of 50% and 48.73%, respectively, though still below the state averages. However, the school's Science performance is particularly strong, with 58% of students proficient or better, exceeding both the district and state averages. Custer Elementary's academic performance has been relatively consistent over the past few years, with its statewide ranking fluctuating between 482 and 719 out of 1,107 to 1,169 elementary schools in Washington.

Interestingly, while Custer Elementary outperforms other Ferndale School District elementary schools, such as Central Elementary and Cascadia Elementary, it is outperformed by Meridian Parent Partnership Program, a school in the neighboring Meridian School District. Additionally, despite a significant increase in per-student spending at Custer Elementary, from $10,972 in 2019-2020 to $19,766 in 2021-2022, the school's academic performance has remained relatively stable, suggesting that factors beyond just funding may be influencing student outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-5

7660 Custer School Road
Custer, WA 98240-0125

(360) 383-9500

District: Ferndale School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
526^th of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,766

Students who attend Custer Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Horizon Middle School
High:	Ferndale High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.2

Number of students: 367

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.2%

Hispanic:

22.3%

Two or more races:

3.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 57.5%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Custer Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Custer Elementary ranks better than 55% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks first among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Ferndale School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 52.45. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (72.2%), Hispanic (22.3%), two or more races (3.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 57.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Custer Elementary is 13.2, which is the 3^rd best among 5 elementary schools in the Ferndale School District. (See more...)

Compare Custer Elementary employs 27.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Custer Elementary is $19,766, which is the 4^th highest among 5 elementary schools in the Ferndale School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Custer Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Custer Elementary 526^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Custer Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Ferndale School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Ferndale School District 150^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Custer Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Custer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	28.37	784^th	1026	23.6%
2005	42.09	647^th	1031	37.2%
2006	54.77	488^th	1051	53.6%
2007	51.13	544^th	1069	49.1%
2008	51.06	556^th	1067	47.9%
2009	52.24	518^th	1072	51.7%
2010	48.88	581^st	1088	46.6%
2011	47.15	603^rd	1092	44.8%
2012	33.25	807^th	1097	26.4%
2013	41.22	699^th	1106	36.8%
2016	49.20	544^th	1053	48.3%
2017	56.90	461^st	1056	56.3%
2018	31.01	749^th	1054	28.9%
2019	38.06	719^th	1130	36.4%
2021	52.79	482^nd	1107	56.5%
2022	44.35	626^th	1169	46.4%
2023	48.03	578^th	1169	50.6%
2024	52.45	526^th	1168	55.0%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Custer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	18.39	589^th	637	7.5%
2019	31.77	392^nd	566	30.7%
2022	33.91	323^rd	478	32.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Custer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	37.15	569^th	835	31.9%
2019	42.81	591^st	979	39.6%
2021	74.00	131^st	854	84.7%
2022	47.34	513^th	1019	49.7%
2023	53.70	445^th	1013	56.1%
2024	49.48	512^th	1024	50.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Custer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	64.19	360^th	1004	64.1%
2019	49.91	570^th	1068	46.6%
2021	54.54	419^th	1008	58.4%
2022	43.84	591^st	1100	46.3%
2023	39.66	641^st	1094	41.4%
2024	50.70	513^th	1093	53.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Custer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	30.48	780^th	1075	27.4%
2021	48.28	489^th	1025	52.3%
2022	44.75	575^th	1113	48.3%
2023	56.48	440^th	1099	60.0%
2024	52.68	493^rd	1099	55.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Custer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	52.46	309^th	697	55.7%
2021	72.75	70^th	501	86.0%
2022	47.67	317^th	694	54.3%
2023	56.42	253^rd	633	60.0%
2024	39.92	414^th	651	36.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Custer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	27.06	653^rd	833	21.6%
2019	30.92	785^th	1027	23.6%
2021	44.07	520^th	943	44.9%
2022	35.91	689^th	1031	33.2%
2023	35.02	688^th	1011	31.9%
2024	45.42	557^th	1009	44.8%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Custer Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	350	0	1	11	7	n/a	n/a	0	369
1989	357	0	3	8	4	n/a	n/a	0	372
1990	353	0	2	12	5	n/a	n/a	0	372
1991	398	1	5	10	9	n/a	n/a	0	423
1992	410	0	5	13	14	n/a	n/a	0	442
1993	440	2	2	10	12	n/a	n/a	0	466
1994	461	0	4	15	9	n/a	n/a	0	489
1995	429	6	2	15	11	n/a	n/a	0	463
1996	429	6	2	15	11	n/a	n/a	0	463
1997	404	8	2	18	10	n/a	n/a	0	442
1998	399	2	6	23	5	n/a	n/a	0	435
1999	381	5	4	32	6	n/a	n/a	0	428
2000	376	4	5	35	7	n/a	n/a	0	427
2001	355	8	3	33	6	n/a	n/a	0	405
2002	352	5	5	35	8	n/a	n/a	0	405
2003	352	5	5	35	8	n/a	n/a	0	405
2004	352	6	7	46	7	n/a	n/a	0	418
2005	353	3	4	46	4	n/a	n/a	2	412
2006	341	4	8	44	4	n/a	n/a	7	408
2007	330	3	11	41	8	n/a	n/a	3	396
2008	309	2	9	55	12	n/a	n/a	2	389
2009	261	2	9	62	13	n/a	n/a	6	353
2010	241	3	8	65	8	n/a	n/a	6	331
2011	231	1	3	72	4	0	12	0	323
2012	235	2	3	69	6	0	15	0	330
2013	216	2	5	59	5	0	13	0	300
2014	250	1	5	85	8	0	16	0	365
2015	228	2	4	77	5	0	12	0	328
2016	254	5	4	65	5	0	7	0	340
2017	251	2	5	62	6	0	8	0	334
2018	258	0	5	67	6	1	12	0	349
2019	261	0	5	62	7	0	14	0	349
2020	244	0	4	73	3	0	20	0	344
2021	197	0	5	67	4	1	19	0	293
2022	211	0	1	66	6	1	19	0	304
2023	230	0	3	67	5	1	19	4	329
2024	265	1	1	82	4	0	14	0	367

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Custer Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	369	15.0	24.6	0
1989	372	16.0	23.2	n/a
1990	372	16.2	22.9	0
1991	423	18.7	22.6	n/a
1992	442	18.7	23.6	n/a
1993	466	20.5	22.7	n/a
1994	489	22.0	22.2	n/a
1995	463	20.6	22.5	n/a
1996	463	20.6	22.5	n/a
1997	442	20.2	21.9	n/a
1998	435	19.7	22.1	n/a
1999	428	19.7	21.7	n/a
2000	427	19.2	22.2	n/a
2001	405	19.7	20.6	n/a
2002	405	21.6	18.8	48.4
2003	405	21.6	18.8	48.4
2004	418	23.0	18.2	48.3
2005	412	23.4	17.6	52.2
2006	408	24.4	16.7	52.1
2007	396	23.3	17.0	49.6
2008	389	23.4	16.6	46.3
2009	353	23.4	15.1	49.9
2010	331	18.8	17.6	51.7
2011	323	18.2	17.6	48.9
2012	330	16.1	20.3	43.9
2013	300	15.1	19.7	40.3
2014	365	n/a	n/a	50.1
2015	328	20.0	16.4	52.1
2016	340	18.0	18.8	51.5
2017	334	18.6	17.9	53.6
2018	349	20.3	17.1	51.3
2019	349	20.5	16.9	49.9
2020	344	20.9	16.4	47.1
2021	293	19.6	14.8	43.7
2022	304	22.1	13.7	42.1
2023	329	22.6	14.5	55.3
2024	367	27.7	13.2	57.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Custer Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	369	15.0	24.6	0
1989	372	16.0	23.2	n/a
1990	372	16.2	22.9	0
1991	423	18.7	22.6	n/a
1992	442	18.7	23.6	n/a
1993	466	20.5	22.7	n/a
1994	489	22.0	22.2	n/a
1995	463	20.6	22.5	n/a
1996	463	20.6	22.5	n/a
1997	442	20.2	21.9	n/a
1998	435	19.7	22.1	n/a
1999	428	19.7	21.7	n/a
2000	427	19.2	22.2	n/a
2001	405	19.7	20.6	n/a
2002	405	21.6	18.8	48.4
2003	405	21.6	18.8	48.4
2004	418	23.0	18.2	48.3
2005	412	23.4	17.6	52.2
2006	408	24.4	16.7	52.1
2007	396	23.3	17.0	49.6
2008	389	23.4	16.6	46.3
2009	353	23.4	15.1	49.9
2010	331	18.8	17.6	51.7
2011	323	18.2	17.6	48.9
2012	330	16.1	20.3	43.9
2013	300	15.1	19.7	40.3
2014	365	n/a	n/a	50.1
2015	328	20.0	16.4	52.1
2016	340	18.0	18.8	51.5
2017	334	18.6	17.9	53.6
2018	349	20.3	17.1	51.3
2019	349	20.5	16.9	49.9
2020	344	20.9	16.4	47.1
2021	293	19.6	14.8	43.7
2022	304	22.1	13.7	42.1
2023	329	22.6	14.5	55.3
2024	367	27.7	13.2	57.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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