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.
Dayton, Washington - 4 schools
An equity score of 71/100 ranks Dayton School District #44 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,728 per pupil, Dayton School District ranks #100 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
393
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$18,728
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dayton School District operates 4 public schools serving 393 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high, 1 combined, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Columbia County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,728 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending. See how Washington compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 21.8% local, 64.8% state, and 13.3% 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 71/100, ranked #44 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.
a 364.2:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 75.0% White, 20.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Dayton School District Alternative Program, with a diversity index of 47.4/100.
Dayton Elementary School accounts for 47.1% of all Dayton School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Dayton School District a distant remainder — means Dayton School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Dayton School District school enrollment varies 14× across entities
Dayton School District school enrollment ranges from 13 students (lowest) to 185 students (highest), a spread of 172 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.
Dayton School District student-counselor ratio is 364:1 — 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.
Dayton School District chronic absenteeism rate is 23.3% — 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 Dayton School District is typically wider than the Dayton School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Dayton School District has 4 schools, including 1 combined, 1 middle, 2 high. Total enrollment is 393 students.
How much does Dayton School District spend per student?
Dayton School District spends $18,728 per student. The district has an equity score of 71/100, ranking #44 in Washington.
What is the demographic composition of Dayton School District?
Dayton School District students are 75.0% White, 20.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dayton School District?
Dayton School District has an equity score of 71/100, ranking #44 out of 238 districts in Washington.