Auburn School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Auburn, Washington - 27 schools

An equity score of 56/100 ranks Auburn School District #89 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $16,996 per pupil, Auburn School District ranks #164 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

17,857
Total Enrollment
27
Schools
$16,996
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Auburn School District operates 27 public schools serving 17,857 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 17 combined, 5 high, 4 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in King County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,996 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending. See how Washington compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 22.4% local, 66.6% state, and 11.0% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 56/100, ranked #89 of 238 in Washington against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 27 schools offering Advanced Placement (46 AP courses district-wide), a 429:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 51.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 32.3% Hispanic or Latino, 28.6% White, 15.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Dick Scobee Elementary School, with a diversity index of 80.9/100.

Its largest campus is Auburn Senior High School, enrolling 1,918 students (11% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Special Ed School, at 35 students, a 55x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Auburn School District school enrollment varies 55× across entities

Auburn School District school enrollment ranges from 35 students (lowest) to 1,918 students (highest), a spread of 1,883 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Auburn School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.9% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Auburn School District student-counselor ratio is 429:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Auburn School District chronic absenteeism rate is 51.6% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

11.0%
Federal
66.6%
State
22.4%
Local

Funding Equity

56
Equity Score
89 / 238
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 27 schools in Auburn School District.

White 28.6%
Hispanic or Latino 32.3%
African American 8.7%
Asian 15.5%
Multiracial 8.9%
Other 6.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 74.1/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Auburn School District's schools, above the Washington average of 53.3.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Dick Scobee Elementary School 80.9
  2. 2 Evergreen Heights Elementary 79.7
  3. 3 Lea Hill Elementary School 78.6
  4. 4 Cascade Middle School 78.0
  5. 5 Rainier Middle School 77.7

Programs & Resources

3 / 27
Schools with AP
46 AP courses total
429:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
51.6%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Auburn School District

School Enrollment
Auburn Senior High School
1,918
Auburn Riverside High School
1,852
Auburn Mountainview High School
1,560
Cascade Middle School
966
Olympic Middle School
956
Mt Baker Middle School
917
Rainier Middle School
907
Chinook Elementary School
700
Dick Scobee Elementary School
675
Willow Crest Elementary
656
Pioneer Elementary School
621
Terminal Park Elementary School
610
Lea Hill Elementary School
593
Alpac Elementary School
534
Lakeland Hills Elementary
512
Hazelwood Elementary School
502
Washington Elementary School
501
Ilalko Elementary School
468
Evergreen Heights Elementary
457
Bowman Creek Elementary
440
Gildo Rey Elementary School
416
Lake View Elementary School
413
Arthur Jacobsen Elementary
367
Auburn Online
264
West Auburn Senior High School
190
Auburn Opportunity Project
92
Special Ed School
35

How Auburn School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Washington districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Highline School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Pasco School District Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Bellevue School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Kennewick School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Issaquah School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Auburn School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Washington

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Seattle School District No. 1
51,238 students · 109 schools · $20,430/pupil
Compare vs Auburn School District →
Lake Washington School District
30,991 students · 58 schools · $16,269/pupil
Compare vs Auburn School District →
Spokane School District
28,714 students · 68 schools · $17,305/pupil
Compare vs Auburn School District →
Tacoma School District
28,311 students · 69 schools · $17,575/pupil
Compare vs Auburn School District →
Kent School District
25,586 students · 45 schools · $17,678/pupil
Compare vs Auburn School District →

Compare Auburn School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Seattle School District No. 1 →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Auburn School District?

Auburn School District has 27 schools, including 5 high, 4 middle, 17 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 17,857 students.

How much does Auburn School District spend per student?

Auburn School District spends $16,996 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #89 in Washington.

What is the demographic composition of Auburn School District?

Auburn School District students are 32.3% Hispanic or Latino, 28.6% White, 15.5% Asian, 8.7% African American, averaged across 27 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Auburn School District?

Auburn School District has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #89 out of 238 districts in Washington.