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Langley, Washington - 5 schools
An equity score of 40/100 ranks South Whidbey School District #166 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,973 per pupil, South Whidbey School District ranks #112 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,202
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$17,973
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South Whidbey School District operates 5 public schools serving 1,202 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high, 1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 combined 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 Island County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,973 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending. See how Washington compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 25.2% local, 60.7% state, and 14.1% 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 40/100, ranked #166 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 (7 AP courses district-wide), a 420:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 21.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.8% White, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is South Whidbey Academy, with a diversity index of 52.9/100.
Its largest campus is South Whidbey Elementary, enrolling 485 students (40% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is South Whidbey Special Services, at 6 students, a 81x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
South Whidbey Elementary accounts for 40.0% of all South Whidbey School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means South Whidbey School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
South Whidbey School District school enrollment varies 81× across entities
South Whidbey School District school enrollment ranges from 6 students (lowest) to 485 students (highest), a spread of 479 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.
South Whidbey School District student-counselor ratio is 420:1 — 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.
South Whidbey School District chronic absenteeism rate is 21.2% — 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 South Whidbey School District is typically wider than the South Whidbey School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to South Whidbey 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.
How many schools are in South Whidbey School District?
South Whidbey School District has 5 schools, including 1 elementary, 2 high, 1 middle, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 1,202 students.
How much does South Whidbey School District spend per student?
South Whidbey School District spends $17,973 per student. The district has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #166 in Washington.
What is the demographic composition of South Whidbey School District?
South Whidbey School District students are 76.8% White, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.5% Asian, 0.6% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for South Whidbey School District?
South Whidbey School District has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #166 out of 238 districts in Washington.