Pioneer 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.

Shelton, Washington - 3 schools

An equity score of 65/100 ranks Pioneer School District #62 of 239 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $19,599 per pupil, Pioneer School District ranks #111 of 311 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

759
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$19,599
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Pioneer School District operates 3 public schools serving 759 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Mason County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,599 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 34.2% local, 51.5% state, and 14.3% 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 65/100, ranked #62 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.

a 366:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 7.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 69.6% White, 20.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American across the district's schools.

Its largest campus is Pioneer Elementary School, enrolling 482 students (65% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Pioneer Virtual Academy, at 15 students, a 32x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Pioneer Elementary School accounts for 63.5% of all Pioneer School District student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Pioneer School District a distant remainder — means Pioneer 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. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Pioneer School District school enrollment varies 32× across entities

Pioneer School District school enrollment ranges from 15 students (lowest) to 482 students (highest), a spread of 467 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. 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

Pioneer School District reports 58.2% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. 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

Pioneer School District student-counselor ratio is 366:1 — 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

Pioneer School District chronic absenteeism rate is 7.8% — 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

Where does the funding come from?

14.3%
Federal
51.5%
State
34.2%
Local

Funding Equity

65
Equity Score
62 / 239
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 3 schools in Pioneer School District.

White 69.6%
Hispanic or Latino 20.2%
African American 1.6%
Asian 0.9%
Multiracial 5.6%
Other 2.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

366:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
7.8%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Pioneer School District

School Enrollment
Pioneer Elementary School
482
Pioneer Middle School
250
Pioneer Virtual Academy
15

How Pioneer School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Washington districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Methow Valley School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Grand Coulee Dam School District Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Mabton School District Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Bridgeport School District Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Spokane International Academy Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Pioneer 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 · $21,806/pupil
Compare vs Pioneer School District →
Lake Washington School District
30,991 students · 58 schools · $17,053/pupil
Compare vs Pioneer School District →
Spokane School District
28,714 students · 68 schools · $18,334/pupil
Compare vs Pioneer School District →
Tacoma School District
28,311 students · 69 schools · $19,679/pupil
Compare vs Pioneer School District →
Kent School District
25,586 students · 45 schools · $19,199/pupil
Compare vs Pioneer School District →

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 Pioneer 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 Pioneer School District?

Pioneer School District has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 759 students.

How much does Pioneer School District spend per student?

Pioneer School District spends $19,599 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #62 in Washington.

What is the demographic composition of Pioneer School District?

Pioneer School District students are 69.6% White, 20.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Pioneer School District?

Pioneer School District has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #62 out of 239 districts in Washington.