Enrollment
299
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180801001375
David Turnham Education Center — Dale, IN
Federal NCES profile for David Turnham Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 69
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: North Spencer County Sch Corp · Indiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.0%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How David Turnham Education Center compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
David Turnham Education Center reports 299 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Indiana average and 11% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 299 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding North Spencer County Sch Corp spends $13,359 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.7% from local sources (property taxes), 56.7% from the state, and 10.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How David Turnham Education Center compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.7:1 | ▲ 4% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.0% | ▼ 7% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 299 | top 22% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
46.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 68% in Indiana — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,359
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 299 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 299 Top 22% in Indiana — larger than 78% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.0% -7% vs state
NCES ID 180801001375
Student demographics
White 69.6%
Hispanic or Latino 29.1%
Two or More 1.0%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 299:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.4%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Spencer County Sch Corp, which includes David Turnham Education Center.
$13,359
Per student
-8%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.7%
State 56.7%
Federal 10.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 296
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 216
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about David Turnham Education Center
How many students attend David Turnham Education Center?
David Turnham Education Center has 299 students enrolled. It is a other school in Dale, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at David Turnham Education Center?
The student-teacher ratio at David Turnham Education Center is 16.7:1, which is 4% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at David Turnham Education Center?
46.0% of students at David Turnham Education Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of David Turnham Education Center?
The largest demographic group at David Turnham Education Center is White at 69.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dale, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for David Turnham Education Center?
David Turnham Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.