Nespelem Elementary

As a very small elementary campus in NESPELEM, Washington, Nespelem Elementary works with 131 students from grades pre-K through 8, one of the schools within Nespelem School District. Enrollment runs roughly 66% smaller than the state mean of about 380.

Nespelem School District runs 2 schools in total, collectively educating 150 students. Nespelem Elementary is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Nespelem Elementary records that nearly all students (83%) are Native American. Beyond that, the school shows 11% multiracial, 5% Hispanic.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.7:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 17.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 96% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Okanogan County (around 72%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

In the area at large, census data for Okanogan County shows median household earnings sit near $63,207, roughly 25% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Okanogan County runs 38 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,538 students), of which Nespelem Elementary is one.

Nespelem High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus.

The campus sits in an outlying setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 5%: 138 students in 2018 compared to 131 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 1% to 5% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 15.3:1 in 2018 to 11.7:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Nespelem Elementary typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.