Enrollment
299
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dale, IN
David Turnham Education Center
Federal NCES profile for David Turnham Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 180801001375
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
David Turnham Education Center earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.6:1
- students per teacher
- 46.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 299
- students enrolled
David Turnham Education Center has class sizes near the Indiana median. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: North Spencer County Sch Corp · Indiana
NCES ID 180801001375 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 15.9:1 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
What stands out at David Turnham Education Center
David Turnham Education Center is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Dale, Indiana, enrolling 299 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 46.0% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 299 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 380 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #133.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 299 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
12.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
North Spencer County Sch Corp also operates Heritage Hills High School (634 students) and Lincoln Trail Elementary School (380 students) alongside David Turnham Education Center.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How David Turnham Education Center compares
David Turnham Education Center on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.6:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.0% | ▼ 7% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 299 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
299
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 66% in Indiana - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,253
per pupil, district-wide
- below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
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.
Student-body diversity index 43.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.1, David Turnham Education Center is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Spencer County Sch Corp, which includes David Turnham Education Center.
$10,253
Per student
-15%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How David Turnham Education Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Hills High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Trail Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heritage Hills Middle School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nancy Hanks Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chrisney Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to David Turnham Education Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 296
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 216
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~299 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on David Turnham Education Center's federal record.
- Compare David Turnham Education Center against another school. Compare schools
- North Spencer County Sch Corp's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
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 public 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 16.6:1, which is 4% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, 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 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is David Turnham Education Center a good school?
David Turnham Education Center earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in North Spencer County Sch Corp?
Besides David Turnham Education Center, North Spencer County Sch Corp also operates Heritage Hills High School (634 students), Lincoln Trail Elementary School (380 students), and Heritage Hills Middle School (341 students). See the North Spencer County Sch Corp district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.