Enrollment
299
Elementary
DISTRICT 298 · STATE 436
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTH SPENCER COUNTY SCH CORP·NCES 180801001375
David Turnham Education Center
Dunn & Locust Sts, Dale, IN 47523 · (812) 937-4300 · Spencer County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL299 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 82% of Indiana public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Indiana public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.3:1 · STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
52%
156 students
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 50%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 39 | 13% |
| Kindergarten | 23 | 8% |
| Grade 1 | 41 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 34 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 40 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 40 | 13% |
| Grade 6 | 33 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (23) is 30% smaller than its 6th grade class (33).
Student demographics
43%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 21% · STATE 57% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within North Spencer County Sch Corp. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
ILEARN 2024-25 . % At or Above ProficiencyEnglish Language Arts
51.8%
IN avg 39.2%
Math
56.0%
IN avg 41.1%
What this means: On the ILEARN, Indiana's statewide test, about 52 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 56 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Indiana schools, those numbers are about 39 and 41.
Source: ILEARN. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
52.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.6%
based on IN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+14.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% typical for Indiana schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Indiana's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like David Turnham Education Center
David Turnham Education Center's state test result (52.8% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Turnham Education Center this school | 299 | 52.2% | 52.8% |
| Hailmann Elementary School LaPorte | 318 | 50.3% | 46.5% |
| Jefferson Elementary School Goshen | 344 | 55.5% | 85.6% |
| Webster Elementary School Plymouth | 310 | 48.1% | 54.8% |
| Lincoln Elementary School LaPorte | 353 | 53.3% | 33.0% |
| Handley Elementary School LaPorte | 366 | 52.7% | 59.1% |
Matched among Indiana elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where David Turnham Education Center ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Indiana | In Spencer County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.8% | #256 of 983 | #5 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 56.0% | #310 of 986 | #5 of 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 51.8% | #210 of 986 | #4 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 299 | #838 of 1,079 | #3 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.1:1 | #676 of 991 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 43.1% | #500 of 996 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 52.2% | #549 of 1,058 | #2 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.6% | #531 of 597 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
299
+16 (+6%) vs 2020
-44% since 1990-91, when it was 535
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
was 12.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 299 | 18.6 | 16.1:1 | 52% (156) |
| 2023-24 | 299 | 18.8 | 15.9:1 | 52% (156) |
| 2022-23 | 300 | 18.9 | 15.9:1 | 52% (155) |
| 2020-21 | 283 | 22 | 12.9:1 | 48% (137) |
| 2017-18 | 307 | 20 | 15.3:1 | 50% (153) |
| 2015-16 | 313 | 20 | 15.7:1 | 46% (144) |
| 2010-11 | 254 | 15 | 16.9:1 | 48% (121) |
| 2000-01 | 269 | 16 | 16.8:1 | 32% (86) |
| 1990-91 | 535 | 27 | 19.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for David Turnham Education Center.
About David Turnham Education Center
David Turnham Education Center is a small elementary school in Dale, Indiana, (ZIP code 47523). A total of 299 students attend the school, which covers pre-K through 6. The average for elementary schools in Indiana is about 436 students, so this school is 31% smaller than average.
North Spencer County Sch Corp has 6 schools; together they serve 2,166 students.
A majority of students at David Turnham Education Center, 70%, are White. Beyond that, enrollment is 29% Hispanic. The White share of the county population is higher, at 94%. By the diversity index, David Turnham Education Center comes in at 43%.
A ratio of 16.1:1 comes from the school's 18.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. Elementary schools in Indiana have a similar average ratio of 15.5:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 52% in 2024-25. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Spencer County is 38%.
Measured against Indiana public elementary schools, David Turnham Education Center receives an A-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Test results at David Turnham Education Center are 14.2 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (52.8% actual, 38.6% predicted).
Federal survey data for Spencer County show that median household income is about $74,506, 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. David Turnham Education Center is among the 10 public schools in Spencer County.
Of nearby public schools, Heritage Hills Middle School is the closest, at about 3.2 miles. The count of other public schools within five miles is 2. In a group of 7 nearby schools with scores, David Turnham Education Center ranks 5th on average proficiency.
David Turnham Education Center is coded as Rural: Distant in federal locale data.
Federal counts put enrollment at 283 in 2020-21 and 299 in 2024-25, a 6% gain. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 12.9:1 in 2020-21 to 16.1:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about David Turnham Education Center may include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Spencer County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
19,955
Census ACS
Median income
$74,506
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
3,231 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in North Spencer County Sch Corp
- Heritage Hills High SchoolHigh · 634 students
- Lincoln Trail Elementary SchoolElementary · 380 students
- Heritage Hills Middle SchoolMiddle · 341 students
- Nancy Hanks Elementary SchoolElementary · 296 students
- Chrisney Elementary SchoolElementary · 216 students
Nearby schools
- Heritage Hills Middle School3.2 mi · 341
- Heritage Hills High School3.3 mi · 634
- Nancy Hanks Elementary School5.3 mi · 296
- Holland Elementary School6.3 mi · 244
- Lincoln Trail Elementary School7.1 mi · 380
- Southridge Middle School7.5 mi · 394
Frequently asked questions
About David Turnham Education CenterHow many students attend David Turnham Education Center?
David Turnham Education Center enrolls approximately 299 students in grades PK-06.
What grades does David Turnham Education Center serve?
David Turnham Education Center serves grades PK-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at David Turnham Education Center?
The student-to-teacher ratio at David Turnham Education Center is approximately 16.1:1 (19 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at David Turnham Education Center?
At David Turnham Education Center, the student body is approximately 70% White, 29% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Two or more.
Is David Turnham Education Center public or private?
David Turnham Education Center is a public K-12 school, overseen by North Spencer County Sch Corp.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.