Centralia 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.

Centralia, Washington - 9 schools

An equity score of 62/100 ranks Centralia School District #65 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $15,778 per pupil, Centralia School District ranks #229 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,440
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$15,778
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Centralia School District operates 9 public schools serving 3,440 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 2 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 Lewis County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,778 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 15.4% local, 69.0% state, and 15.6% 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 62/100, ranked #65 of 238 in Washington against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 362.4:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 22.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 52.2% White, 40.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Futurus High School, with a diversity index of 59.0/100.

Its largest campus is Centralia High School, enrolling 941 students (28% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Centralia School District Sped Pre-School, at 59 students, a 16x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Centralia High School accounts for 27.4% of all Centralia School District student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Centralia School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

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

Centralia School District school enrollment varies 16× across entities

Centralia School District school enrollment ranges from 59 students (lowest) to 941 students (highest), a spread of 882 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. 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

Centralia School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 72.4% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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

Centralia School District student-counselor ratio is 362:1 — 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

Centralia School District chronic absenteeism rate is 22.9% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism

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 Variation between sub-units within Centralia School District is typically wider than the Centralia School District-aggregate figure suggests.

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

Where does the funding come from?

15.6%
Federal
69.0%
State
15.4%
Local

Funding Equity

62
Equity Score
65 / 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 9 schools in Centralia School District.

White 52.2%
Hispanic or Latino 40.2%
African American 1.2%
Multiracial 5.1%
Other 1.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 55.4/100

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

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Futurus High School 59.0
  2. 2 Edison Elementary 58.2
  3. 3 Jefferson Lincoln Elementary 57.0
  4. 4 Centralia High School 56.9
  5. 5 Centralia Middle School 56.3

Programs & Resources

1 / 9
Schools with AP
5 AP courses total
362.4:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
22.9%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Centralia School District

School Enrollment
Centralia High School
941
Centralia Middle School
479
Fords Prairie Elementary
443
Jefferson Lincoln Elementary
357
Oakview Elementary School
317
Edison Elementary
313
Washington Elementary School
294
Futurus High School
110
Centralia School District Sped Pre-School
59

How Centralia School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Washington districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
West Valley School District (Spokane) Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Burlington-Edison School District Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Port Angeles School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Lynden School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
East Valley School District (Yakima) Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Centralia 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 Centralia School District →
Lake Washington School District
30,991 students · 58 schools · $16,269/pupil
Compare vs Centralia School District →
Spokane School District
28,714 students · 68 schools · $17,305/pupil
Compare vs Centralia School District →
Tacoma School District
28,311 students · 69 schools · $17,575/pupil
Compare vs Centralia School District →
Kent School District
25,586 students · 45 schools · $17,678/pupil
Compare vs Centralia School District →

Compare Centralia 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 Centralia School District?

Centralia School District has 9 schools, including 2 high, 1 middle, 5 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 3,440 students.

How much does Centralia School District spend per student?

Centralia School District spends $15,778 per student. The district has an equity score of 62/100, ranking #65 in Washington.

What is the demographic composition of Centralia School District?

Centralia School District students are 52.2% White, 40.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Centralia School District?

Centralia School District has an equity score of 62/100, ranking #65 out of 238 districts in Washington.