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Pershing, Indiana - 3 schools
An equity score of 48/100 ranks Western Wayne Schools #208 of 373 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,768 per pupil, Western Wayne Schools ranks #190 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
751
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$11,768
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Western Wayne Schools operates 3 public schools serving 751 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Indiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 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 Wayne County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,768 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 26.7% local, 58.2% state, and 15.2% 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 48/100, ranked #208 of 373 in Indiana against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 315:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 31.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 91.3% White, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian across the district's schools.
Western Wayne Elementary School accounts for 48.1% of all Western Wayne Schools student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Western Wayne Schools a distant remainder — means Western Wayne Schools-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.
Western Wayne Schools school enrollment varies 2.7× across entities
Western Wayne Schools school enrollment ranges from 162 students (lowest) to 433 students (highest), a spread of 271 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.
Western Wayne Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 58.6% 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.
Western Wayne Schools student-counselor ratio is 315:1 — 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 Western Wayne Schools is typically wider than the Western Wayne Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Western Wayne Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 31.4% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Western Wayne Schools has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 751 students.
How much does Western Wayne Schools spend per student?
Western Wayne Schools spends $11,768 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #208 in Indiana.
What is the demographic composition of Western Wayne Schools?
Western Wayne Schools students are 91.3% White, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% African American, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Western Wayne Schools?
Western Wayne Schools has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #208 out of 373 districts in Indiana.