Othello 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Othello, Washington - 9 schools

An equity score of 45/100 ranks Othello School District #137 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $15,129 per pupil, Othello School District ranks #263 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

4,751
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$15,129
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Othello School District operates 9 public schools serving 4,751 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 3 high, 1 middle, 1 combined 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 Adams County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,129 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 8.0% local, 76.5% state, and 15.5% 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 45/100, ranked #137 of 238 in Washington against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 447.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 18.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 90.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% White, 0.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Open Door Re-Engagement, with a diversity index of 33.5/100.

Its largest campus is Othello High School, enrolling 1,338 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Open Door Re-Engagement, at 20 students, a 67x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Othello High School accounts for 28.2% of all Othello School District student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Othello School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Othello School District school enrollment varies 67× across entities

Othello School District school enrollment ranges from 20 students (lowest) to 1,338 students (highest), a spread of 1,318 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Othello School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 77.4% 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Othello School District student-counselor ratio is 448:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Othello School District chronic absenteeism rate is 18.9% — 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 Othello School District is typically wider than the Othello School District-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

15.5%
Federal
76.5%
State
8.0%
Local

Funding Equity

45
Equity Score
137 / 238
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 9 schools in Othello School District.

White 8.3%
Hispanic or Latino 90.3%
Multiracial 1.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 17.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Othello School District's schools, below the Washington average of 53.3.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Open Door Re-Engagement 33.5
  2. 2 Scootney Springs Elementary 22.5
  3. 3 Hiawatha Elementary School 18.9
  4. 4 Early Childhood Center 18.6
  5. 5 Mcfarland Middle School 17.8

Programs & Resources

1 / 9
Schools with AP
4 AP courses total
447.6:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
18.9%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Othello School District

School Enrollment
Othello High School
1,338
Mcfarland Middle School
702
Wahitis Elementary School
606
Scootney Springs Elementary
605
Hiawatha Elementary School
579
Lutacaga Elementary
541
Early Childhood Center
146
Desert Oasis High School
117
Open Door Re-Engagement
20

How Othello School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Washington districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Stanwood-Camano School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Ferndale School District Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Sedro-Woolley School District Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Kelso School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Shelton School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

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

Nearby Districts in Washington

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

Seattle School District No. 1
51,238 students · 109 schools · $20,430/pupil
Compare vs Othello School District →
Lake Washington School District
30,991 students · 58 schools · $16,269/pupil
Compare vs Othello School District →
Spokane School District
28,714 students · 68 schools · $17,305/pupil
Compare vs Othello School District →
Tacoma School District
28,311 students · 69 schools · $17,575/pupil
Compare vs Othello School District →
Kent School District
25,586 students · 45 schools · $17,678/pupil
Compare vs Othello School District →

Compare Othello School District

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

Compare vs Seattle School District No. 1 →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Othello School District?

Othello School District has 9 schools, including 3 high, 1 middle, 4 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 4,751 students.

How much does Othello School District spend per student?

Othello School District spends $15,129 per student. The district has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #137 in Washington.

What is the demographic composition of Othello School District?

Othello School District students are 90.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Othello School District?

Othello School District has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #137 out of 238 districts in Washington.