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Elma, Washington - 6 schools
An equity score of 68/100 ranks Elma School District #50 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,114 per pupil, Elma School District ranks #215 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,708
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$16,114
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Elma School District operates 6 public schools serving 1,708 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 high, 2 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 Grays Harbor County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,114 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 13.4% local, 74.1% state, and 12.5% 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 68/100, ranked #50 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 439.4:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 18.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 65.8% White, 25.1% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Eagle Virtual Sky Academy, with a diversity index of 59.9/100.
Its largest campus is Elma Elementary School, enrolling 688 students (41% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is East Grays Harbor High School, at 4 students, a 172x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Elma Elementary School accounts for 40.3% of all Elma School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Elma 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.
Elma School District school enrollment varies 172× across entities
Elma School District school enrollment ranges from 4 students (lowest) to 688 students (highest), a spread of 684 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Elma School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 76.9% 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 — including this one — 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.
Elma School District student-counselor ratio is 439:1 — 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.
Elma School District chronic absenteeism rate is 18.6% — 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 Elma School District is typically wider than the Elma School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Elma School District has 6 schools, including 2 combined, 3 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,708 students.
How much does Elma School District spend per student?
Elma School District spends $16,114 per student. The district has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #50 in Washington.
What is the demographic composition of Elma School District?
Elma School District students are 65.8% White, 25.1% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian, 0.8% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Elma School District?
Elma School District has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #50 out of 238 districts in Washington.