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.
Cathlamet, Washington - 2 schools
An equity score of 66/100 ranks Wahkiakum School District #57 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,190 per pupil, Wahkiakum School District ranks #155 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
431
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$17,190
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Wahkiakum School District operates 2 public schools serving 431 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary, 1 high 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 Wahkiakum County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,190 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 15.1% local, 74.3% state, and 10.6% 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 66/100, ranked #57 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 1 of 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 211.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 15.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 77.7% White, 12.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% Asian across the district's schools.
Julius a Wendt Elementary/John C Thomas Middle School accounts for 63.1% of all Wahkiakum School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Wahkiakum School District a distant remainder — means Wahkiakum 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.
Wahkiakum School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 54.5% 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.
Wahkiakum School District student-counselor ratio is 212:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Wahkiakum School District chronic absenteeism rate is 15.9% — 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 Wahkiakum School District is typically wider than the Wahkiakum School District-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Wahkiakum School District?
Wahkiakum School District has 2 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 high. Total enrollment is 431 students.
How much does Wahkiakum School District spend per student?
Wahkiakum School District spends $17,190 per student. The district has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #57 in Washington.
What is the demographic composition of Wahkiakum School District?
Wahkiakum School District students are 77.7% White, 12.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% Asian, 0.4% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Wahkiakum School District?
Wahkiakum School District has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #57 out of 238 districts in Washington.