Custer Elem

As a reasonably sized elementary-level community in Custer, Washington, Custer Elem caters to 392 students from grades K through 5, operated by Ferndale School District.

Within Ferndale School District, which oversees 13 schools and 4,746 students, Custer Elem is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Custer Elem reports that 70% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school logs 26% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Whatcom County as a whole is about 78% White, so the school skews considerably less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Custer Elem shows 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 17.3:1. The state averages about 17.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 54% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

After controlling for student poverty, Custer Elem tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 43.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 46.7%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Whatcom County) reports that median household earnings sit near $81,784, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Custer Elem is one of 78 public schools in Whatcom County (combined enrollment of about 27,779 students).

Cascadia Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 3.8 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Custer Elem. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Custer Elem at 1st of 6; the average score across the group is 39.4%.

Custer Elem operates from a rural location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 12%: 349 students in 2018 compared to 392 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 19% to 26% across the same window.

On the community side, the feed for Custer Elem typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.