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Goldendale, Washington - 5 schools
An equity score of 28/100 ranks Goldendale School District #201 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,569 per pupil, Goldendale School District ranks #303 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,976
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$12,569
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Goldendale School District operates 5 public schools serving 2,976 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 2 elementary, 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 Klickitat County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,569 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 31 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending. See how Washington compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 11.2% local, 81.1% state, and 7.7% 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 28/100, ranked #201 of 238 in Washington against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (12 AP courses district-wide), a 754:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 70.3% White, 16.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Washington Connections Academy Goldendale, with a diversity index of 57.1/100.
Washington Connections Academy Goldendale accounts for 70.4% of all Goldendale School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Goldendale School District a distant remainder — means Goldendale 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.
Goldendale School District school enrollment varies 163× across entities
Goldendale School District school enrollment ranges from 13 students (lowest) to 2,121 students (highest), a spread of 2,108 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.
Goldendale School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 51.5% 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 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.
Goldendale School District student-counselor ratio is 754:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Goldendale School District chronic absenteeism rate is 23.8% — 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 Goldendale School District is typically wider than the Goldendale School District-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Goldendale School District?
Goldendale School District has 5 schools, including 2 combined, 1 high, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,976 students.
How much does Goldendale School District spend per student?
Goldendale School District spends $12,569 per student. The district has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #201 in Washington.
What is the demographic composition of Goldendale School District?
Goldendale School District students are 70.3% White, 16.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American, 1.1% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Goldendale School District?
Goldendale School District has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #201 out of 238 districts in Washington.