An equity score of 61/100 ranks Ferndale School District #70 of 239 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,722 per pupil, Ferndale School District ranks #129 of 311 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,651
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$18,722
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Ferndale School District operates 13 public schools serving 4,651 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 4 combined, 2 high, 2 middle 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 Whatcom County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,722 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 311 Washington districts by per-pupil spending. See how Washington compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 22.3% local, 63.5% state, and 14.2% 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 61/100, ranked #70 of 239 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 13 schools offering Advanced Placement (9 AP courses district-wide), a 446.4:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 18.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 55.6% White, 23.6% Hispanic or Latino, 4.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Skyline Elementary School, with a diversity index of 70.9/100.
Its largest campus is Ferndale High School, enrolling 1,325 students (28% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Ferndale Special Services, at 20 students, a 66x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Ferndale High School accounts for 27.8% of all Ferndale School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Ferndale School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. 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.
Ferndale School District school enrollment varies 66× across entities
Ferndale School District school enrollment ranges from 20 students (lowest) to 1,325 students (highest), a spread of 1,305 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.
Ferndale School District student-counselor ratio is 446:1 — 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.
Ferndale School District chronic absenteeism rate is 18.1% — 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 Ferndale School District is typically wider than the Ferndale School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Ferndale School District has 13 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 5 elementary, 4 combined. Total enrollment is 4,651 students.
How much does Ferndale School District spend per student?
Ferndale School District spends $18,722 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #70 in Washington.
What is the demographic composition of Ferndale School District?
Ferndale School District students are 55.6% White, 23.6% Hispanic or Latino, 4.5% Asian, 1.0% African American, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Ferndale School District?
Ferndale School District has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #70 out of 239 districts in Washington.