Yakima 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Yakima, Washington - 28 schools

An equity score of 67/100 ranks Yakima School District #53 of 238 districts in Washington (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $16,878 per pupil, Yakima School District ranks #173 of 309 Washington districts by per-pupil spending (Washington districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

15,553
Total Enrollment
28
Schools
$16,878
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Yakima School District operates 28 public schools serving 15,553 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Washington. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 combined, 9 elementary, 6 high, 4 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Yakima County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,878 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 9.1% local, 69.9% state, and 21.0% 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 #53 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 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (14 AP courses district-wide), a 370.2:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 24.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% White, 2.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Juvenile Detention Center, with a diversity index of 55.5/100.

Its largest campus is Davis High School, enrolling 2,359 students (15% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Ridgeview Group Home, at 3 students, a 786x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Davis High School accounts for 15.2% of all Yakima School District student enrollment

That concentration means Yakima School District-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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Yakima School District school enrollment varies 786× across entities

Yakima School District school enrollment ranges from 3 students (lowest) to 2,359 students (highest), a spread of 2,356 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Yakima School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 77.0% 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 — including this one — 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Yakima School District student-counselor ratio is 370:1 — 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 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Yakima School District chronic absenteeism rate is 24.1% — 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 Yakima School District is typically wider than the Yakima School District-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

21.0%
Federal
69.9%
State
9.1%
Local

Funding Equity

67
Equity Score
53 / 238
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 28 schools in Yakima School District.

White 18.0%
Hispanic or Latino 76.3%
African American 2.3%
Multiracial 1.9%
Other 1.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 32.8/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Yakima School District's schools, below the Washington average of 53.3.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Juvenile Detention Center 55.5
  2. 2 Nob Hill Elementary School 50.8
  3. 3 Yakima Satellite Alternative Programs 50.0
  4. 4 Whitney Elementary 46.3
  5. 5 Gilbert Elementary School 46.3

Programs & Resources

1 / 28
Schools with AP
14 AP courses total
370.2:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
24.1%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Yakima School District

School Enrollment
Davis High School
2,359
Eisenhower High School
2,258
Franklin Middle School
848
Wilson Middle School
840
Lewis & Clark Middle School
815
Washington Middle School
748
Adams Elementary School
643
Hoover Elementary School
582
Mcclure Elementary School
559
Ridgeview Elementary
533
Barge-Lincoln Elementary School
518
Garfield Elementary School
507
Martin Luther King Jr Elementary
485
Robertson Elementary
473
Roosevelt Elementary School
455
Whitney Elementary
433
Gilbert Elementary School
415
Mckinley Elementary School
403
Yakima Online
355
Nob Hill Elementary School
339
Discovery Early Learning Center
303
Yakima Open Doors
272
Stanton Academy
183
K-8 Learning Lab
122
Juvenile Detention Center
23
Yakima Satellite Alternative Programs
14
Yakima Valley Technical Skills Center
8
Ridgeview Group Home
3

How Yakima School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Washington districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Renton School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Mukilteo School District Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
North Thurston Public Schools Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Central Valley School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Richland School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Yakima 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 · $20,430/pupil
Compare vs Yakima School District →
Lake Washington School District
30,991 students · 58 schools · $16,269/pupil
Compare vs Yakima School District →
Spokane School District
28,714 students · 68 schools · $17,305/pupil
Compare vs Yakima School District →
Tacoma School District
28,311 students · 69 schools · $17,575/pupil
Compare vs Yakima School District →
Kent School District
25,586 students · 45 schools · $17,678/pupil
Compare vs Yakima School District →

Compare Yakima 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 Yakima School District?

Yakima School District has 28 schools, including 6 high, 4 middle, 9 combined, 9 elementary. Total enrollment is 15,553 students.

How much does Yakima School District spend per student?

Yakima School District spends $16,878 per student. The district has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #53 in Washington.

What is the demographic composition of Yakima School District?

Yakima School District students are 76.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% White, 2.3% African American, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 28 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Yakima School District?

Yakima School District has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #53 out of 238 districts in Washington.