Esmeralda County 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.

Goldfield, Nevada - 4 schools

At $35,114 per pupil, Esmeralda County School District ranks #1 of 19 Nevada districts by per-pupil spending (Nevada districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

88
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$35,114
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Esmeralda County School District operates 4 public schools serving 88 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Nevada. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 1 high 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 Esmeralda County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $35,114 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 2 of 19 Nevada districts by per-pupil spending. See how Nevada compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 1.3% local, 83.9% state, and 14.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles.

a 75:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 32.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 56.7% White, 31.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Esmeralda Virtual High School, with a diversity index of 53.1/100.

Its largest campus is Dyer Elementary School, enrolling 37 students (49% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Silver Peak Elementary School, at 6 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Dyer Elementary School accounts for 42.0% of all Esmeralda County School District student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Esmeralda County School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: combined. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Esmeralda County School District school enrollment varies 6.2× across entities

Esmeralda County School District school enrollment ranges from 6 students (lowest) to 37 students (highest), a spread of 31 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. 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

Esmeralda County School District reports 96.4% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share is above 87.5%, so economic need is widespread across the measured student population. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Esmeralda County School District student-counselor ratio is 75:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)

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 Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Esmeralda County School District chronic absenteeism rate is 32.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)

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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

14.8%
Federal
83.9%
State
1.3%
Local

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in Esmeralda County School District.

White 56.7%
Hispanic or Latino 31.6%
Multiracial 3.8%
Other 8.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 40.5/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Esmeralda County School District's schools, below the Nevada average of 56.4.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Esmeralda Virtual High School 53.1
  2. 2 Dyer Elementary School 52.1
  3. 3 Goldfield Elementary School 28.9
  4. 4 Silver Peak Elementary School 27.8

Programs & Resources

75:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
32.2%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Esmeralda County School District

School Enrollment
Dyer Elementary School
37
Goldfield Elementary School
24
Esmeralda Virtual High School
8
Silver Peak Elementary School
6

How Esmeralda County School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Nevada districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Correctional School District Smaller No spending data No revenue-mix data
Davidson Academy School District Larger Lower spending More locally funded
Eureka County School District Larger Lower spending Similar funding mix
Storey County School District Larger Lower spending Similar funding mix
Mineral County School District Larger Lower spending Similar funding mix

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

Nearby Districts in Nevada

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

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Esmeralda County School District

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

Compare vs Clark County School District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Esmeralda County School District?

Esmeralda County School District has 4 schools, including 3 combined, 1 high. Total enrollment is 88 students.

How much does Esmeralda County School District spend per student?

Esmeralda County School District spends $35,114 per student.

What is the demographic composition of Esmeralda County School District?

Esmeralda County School District students are 56.7% White, 31.6% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.