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Spencer, Indiana - 6 schools
An equity score of 67/100 ranks Spencer-Owen Community Schools #80 of 373 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,508 per pupil, Spencer-Owen Community Schools ranks #135 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,238
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$12,508
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Spencer-Owen Community Schools operates 6 public schools serving 2,238 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Indiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 1 high, 1 elementary, 1 middle 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 Owen County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,508 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Indiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 30.1% local, 56.0% state, and 13.8% 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 67/100, ranked #80 of 373 in Indiana 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 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 312.9:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 6.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 92.5% White, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Spencer Elementary School, with a diversity index of 20.2/100.
Owen Valley Community High School accounts for 28.1% of all Spencer-Owen Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Spencer-Owen Community Schools-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.
Spencer-Owen Community Schools school enrollment varies 4.3× across entities
Spencer-Owen Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 147 students (lowest) to 628 students (highest), a spread of 481 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Spencer-Owen Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.4% 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 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.
Spencer-Owen Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 313:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Spencer-Owen Community Schools is typically wider than the Spencer-Owen Community Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Spencer-Owen Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 6.1% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Spencer-Owen Community Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Indiana
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Spencer-Owen Community Schools?
Spencer-Owen Community Schools has 6 schools, including 1 high, 3 combined, 1 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 2,238 students.
How much does Spencer-Owen Community Schools spend per student?
Spencer-Owen Community Schools spends $12,508 per student. The district has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #80 in Indiana.
What is the demographic composition of Spencer-Owen Community Schools?
Spencer-Owen Community Schools students are 92.5% White, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Spencer-Owen Community Schools?
Spencer-Owen Community Schools has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #80 out of 373 districts in Indiana.