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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at Verda James Elementary this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
448
Elementary
DISTRICT 298 · STATE 216
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NATRONA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #1·NCES 560451000389
Verda James Elementary
701 Carriage Lane, Casper, WY 82609 · (307) 253-1100 · Natrona County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL448 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 55% of Wyoming public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Wyoming public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 10.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
30%
133 students
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 47%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 75 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 70 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 72 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 73 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 72 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 86 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (75) is 13% smaller than its 5th grade class (86).
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 38% · STATE 41% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
WY-TOPP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
66.0%
WY avg 56.0%
Math
62.4%
WY avg 51.3%
What this means: On the WY-TOPP, Wyoming's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 62 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Wyoming schools, those numbers are about 56 and 51.
Source: WY-TOPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
61.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.9%
based on WY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 62% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 63% typical for Wyoming schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Wyoming's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Verda James Elementary
Verda James Elementary's state test result (61.7% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verda James Elementary this school | 448 | 29.7% | 61.7% |
| Pinedale Elementary Pinedale | 424 | 29.0% | 68.8% |
| Highland Park Elementary Sheridan | 321 | 27.4% | 72.8% |
| Thayne Elementary Thayne | 344 | 33.7% | 74.2% |
| Summit Elementary School Casper | 437 | 23.6% | 68.1% |
| Buffalo Ridge Elementary Gillette | 413 | 28.3% | N/A |
Matched among Wyoming elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Verda James Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Wyoming | In Natrona County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 61.7% | #46 of 116 | #7 of 17 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.4% | #52 of 121 | #7 of 18 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.0% | #22 of 121 | #2 of 18 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 448 | #4 of 187 | #1 of 20 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.7:1 | #106 of 109 | #15 of 17 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.4% | #59 of 109 | #12 of 17 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 29.7% | #121 of 139 | #17 of 18 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.2% | #15 of 24 | #5 of 6 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
448
+10 (+2%) vs 2020
-8% since 1990-91, when it was 489
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
was 15.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 448 | 28.5 | 15.7:1 | 30% (133) |
| 2023-24 | 435 | 27 | 16.1:1 | 21% (93) |
| 2022-23 | 444 | 25.1 | 17.7:1 | 23% (102) |
| 2020-21 | 438 | 28 | 15.6:1 | 29% (126) |
| 2017-18 | 426 | 27.1 | 15.7:1 | 26% (112) |
| 2015-16 | 445 | 28 | 15.9:1 | 27% (120) |
| 2010-11 | 412 | N/A | N/A | 25% (103) |
| 2000-01 | 438 | 26 | 16.9:1 | 26% (112) |
| 1990-91 | 489 | 22 | 22.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Verda James Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (426 to 448); teachers up 5% (27.1 to 28.5).
About Verda James Elementary
Located in Casper, Wyoming, Verda James Elementary is a large elementary school. The student body numbers 448 students, from kindergarten through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Wyoming is about 216, so this school runs 107% above that.
Besides Verda James Elementary, Natrona County School District #1 runs 26 other schools. The district enrolls 12,352 students.
Verda James Elementary enrolls a student body that is 81% White. The school is also 11% Hispanic and 6% multiracial. The chance that two students picked at random at Verda James Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 33%.
Teachers at Verda James Elementary total 28.5 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 15.7:1. The 10.6:1 average for elementary schools in Wyoming is lower than this school's figure. The school counts 133 students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or 30%. The 46% average for public schools in Natrona County is 16 points higher.
Verda James Elementary is graded B by allk12, scoring above 55% of Wyoming public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
The school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 61.7%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 62.9%.
In Natrona County (population about 79,977), median household income is about $72,156, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 28% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Verda James Elementary is one of 29 public schools in Natrona County, which together enroll about 12,650 students.
Nearby, Woods Learning Center is about 0.6 miles away. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, Verda James Elementary places 3rd out of 9 schools in its immediate area.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is City: Small.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 448, starting from 438.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Natrona County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
79,977
Census ACS
Median income
$72,156
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
29
12,650 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Natrona County School District #1
- Kelly Walsh High SchoolHigh · 2,002 students
- Natrona County High SchoolHigh · 1,703 students
- C Y Middle SchoolMiddle · 766 students
- Centennial Middle SchoolMiddle · 755 students
- Dean Morgan Middle SchoolMiddle · 613 students
- Casper Classical AcademyMiddle · 516 students
Other schools in Casper
- Kelly Walsh High SchoolHigh · 2,002 students
- Natrona County High SchoolHigh · 1,703 students
- C Y Middle SchoolMiddle · 766 students
- Centennial Middle SchoolMiddle · 755 students
- Dean Morgan Middle SchoolMiddle · 613 students
- Casper Classical AcademyMiddle · 516 students
Nearby schools
- Woods Learning Center0.6 mi · 170
- Kelly Walsh High School0.6 mi · 2,002
- Centennial Middle School0.6 mi · 755
- Pineview Elementary1.0 mi · 258
- Summit Elementary School1.0 mi · 437
- Manor Heights Elementary1.1 mi · 299
Frequently asked questions
About Verda James ElementaryHow large is Verda James Elementary?
Verda James Elementary enrolls approximately 448 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Verda James Elementary serve?
Verda James Elementary serves grades KG-05.
How many students per teacher at Verda James Elementary?
Approximately 15.7:1 students per teacher at Verda James Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Verda James Elementary?
Student demographics at Verda James Elementary are roughly 81% White, 11% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Verda James Elementary in?
Verda James Elementary is part of Natrona County School District #1.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.