Pasco 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.

Pasco, Washington - 28 schools

An equity score of 58/100 ranks Pasco School District #79 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $16,004 per pupil, Pasco School District ranks #218 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

18,515
Total Enrollment
28
Schools
$16,004
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Pasco School District operates 28 public schools serving 18,515 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 19 combined, 4 middle, 4 elementary, 1 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Franklin County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,004 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 12.0% local, 70.8% state, and 17.3% 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 58/100, ranked #79 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.

Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (10 AP courses district-wide), a 421.1:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 7.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 75.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% White, 1.1% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ruth Livingston Elementary, with a diversity index of 56.8/100.

Its largest campus is Chiawana Senior High School, enrolling 3,127 students (17% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Internet Pasco Academy of Learning, at 50 students, a 63x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Chiawana Senior High School accounts for 16.5% of all Pasco School District student enrollment

That concentration means Pasco 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.

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

Pasco School District school enrollment varies 63× across entities

Pasco School District school enrollment ranges from 50 students (lowest) to 3,127 students (highest), a spread of 3,077 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

Pasco School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 68.3% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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

Pasco School District student-counselor ratio is 421:1 — 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

Pasco School District chronic absenteeism rate is 7.9% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)

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 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 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

17.3%
Federal
70.8%
State
12.0%
Local

Funding Equity

58
Equity Score
79 / 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 28 schools in Pasco School District.

White 20.2%
Hispanic or Latino 75.4%
African American 0.7%
Asian 1.1%
Multiracial 2.2%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 33.3/100

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

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Ruth Livingston Elementary 56.8
  2. 2 Three Rivers Elementary 54.5
  3. 3 Rosalind Franklin Stem Elementary 53.2
  4. 4 Mcloughlin Middle School 53.0
  5. 5 Ray Reynolds Middle School 52.8

Programs & Resources

2 / 28
Schools with AP
10 AP courses total
421.1:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
7.9%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Pasco School District

School Enrollment
Chiawana Senior High School
3,127
Pasco Senior High School
2,590
Ray Reynolds Middle School
1,294
Mcloughlin Middle School
1,171
Stevens Middle School
956
Ellen Ochoa Middle School
831
Three Rivers Elementary
657
Columbia River Elementary
618
Mark Twain Elementary
579
Maya Angelou Elementary
579
Barbara Mcclintock Stem Elementary
570
Rosalind Franklin Stem Elementary
543
Ruth Livingston Elementary
541
James Mcgee Elementary
499
Virgie Robinson Elementary
473
Robert Frost Elementary
459
Emerson Elementary
447
Rowena Chess Elementary
436
Captain Gray Stem Elementary
408
Whittier Elementary
378
Marie Curie Stem Elementary
376
New Horizons High School
344
Pasco Early Learning Center
318
Longfellow Elementary
312
Edwin Markham Elementary
227
Pasco Innovative Experiences and E-Learning
70
Pasco Early Childhood
60
Internet Pasco Academy of Learning
50

How Pasco School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Washington districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Highline School District Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Bellevue School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Auburn School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Kennewick School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Issaquah School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Pasco 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 Pasco School District →
Lake Washington School District
30,991 students · 58 schools · $16,269/pupil
Compare vs Pasco School District →
Spokane School District
28,714 students · 68 schools · $17,305/pupil
Compare vs Pasco School District →
Tacoma School District
28,311 students · 69 schools · $17,575/pupil
Compare vs Pasco School District →
Kent School District
25,586 students · 45 schools · $17,678/pupil
Compare vs Pasco School District →

Compare Pasco 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 Pasco School District?

Pasco School District has 28 schools, including 19 combined, 1 high, 4 middle, 4 elementary. Total enrollment is 18,515 students.

How much does Pasco School District spend per student?

Pasco School District spends $16,004 per student. The district has an equity score of 58/100, ranking #79 in Washington.

What is the demographic composition of Pasco School District?

Pasco School District students are 75.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% White, 1.1% Asian, 0.7% African American, averaged across 28 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Pasco School District?

Pasco School District has an equity score of 58/100, ranking #79 out of 238 districts in Washington.