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David Turnham Education Center

Q: Is David Turnham Education Center a good school?

David Turnham Education Center ranks 251 st of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

251^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 75% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

David Turnham Education Center is an elementary school located in Dale, Indiana, serving 299 students in grades PK-6. It is part of the North Spencer County School Corporation, which is ranked 13th out of 380 school districts in Indiana and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

David Turnham Education Center has consistently ranked among the top elementary schools in Indiana, with academic performance on par with or exceeding the district and state averages, particularly in math and science. However, the school has experienced relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 6.9% to 19.2% in recent years, which is higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school has a higher percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 44.06% to 52.17% in recent years, indicating a higher proportion of students from low-income families.

When compared to nearby schools within the North Spencer County School Corporation, such as Chrisney Elementary School and Lincoln Trail Elementary School, David Turnham Education Center generally performs on par or slightly better on academic measures. However, it has a higher percentage of students from low-income families. When compared to schools outside the district, such as Ireland Elementary School and Huntingburg Elementary School, David Turnham Education Center outperforms these schools on academic measures, though they have higher percentages of students from low-income families.

299

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,048

Per pupil spending ?

52.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

Dunn & Locust Sts
Dale, IN 47523

(812) 937-4300

District: North Spencer County School Corp

Students who attend David Turnham Education Center usually attend:

Middle:	Heritage Hills Middle School
High:	Heritage Hills High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.6%

Hispanic:

29.1%

Two or more races:

1.0%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare David Turnham Education Center to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 95th percentile in 2021 → 75th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (53% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of Indiana elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 95th-percentile peak (2021) to 75th (2025)

!Near the bottom of North Spencer County School Corp's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg62%

Indiana avg38%

251^st of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Top 25%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 31% (2015) to top 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the North Spencer County School Corp

13^th of 380North Spencer County School Corp among Indiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	73.7	251 of 1005	75.0%	★★★★☆
2024	75.8	226 of 1011	77.6%	★★★★☆
2023	90.8	62 of 1016	93.9%	★★★★★
2022	89.7	74 of 1020	92.7%	★★★★★
2021	92.4	53 of 1016	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	87.0	92 of 1031	91.1%	★★★★★
2018	83.8	120 of 1027	88.3%	★★★★☆
2017	72.8	268 of 1033	74.1%	★★★★☆
2016	75.2	216 of 1046	79.3%	★★★★☆
2015	68.2	326 of 1040	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	70.7	289 of 1036	72.1%	★★★★☆
2013	85.9	58 of 1035	94.4%	★★★★★
2012	80.7	136 of 1015	86.6%	★★★★☆
2011	80.8	117 of 1025	88.6%	★★★★☆
2010	75.3	206 of 1009	79.6%	★★★★☆
2009	77.8	179 of 1003	82.2%	★★★★☆
2008	82.1	109 of 996	89.1%	★★★★☆
2007	78.9	150 of 985	84.8%	★★★★☆
2006	81.7	113 of 961	88.2%	★★★★☆
2005	88.0	51 of 959	94.7%	★★★★★
2004	63.2	120 of 326	63.2%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies64%+26 vs state

Math56%

English Language Arts52%

Science43%

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, April 9, 2021

Best school ever! The best staff and students. Close Quote

Schools Near David Turnham Education Center

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)					ILEARN Math (2025)					ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
David Turnham Education Center	Public	PK, KG-6	Dunn & Locust Sts	Dale	47523	Spencer County	North Spencer County School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(812) 937-4300	299	19	16.0	52.2%	208 (69.6%)	1 (0.3%)	87 (29.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	73.7	251^st of 1005 public elementary schools	75.0%		75.8	226^th of 1011 public elementary schools	77.6%	25	43.2	56.9	59.0	46.9	51.8	50.0	58.8	66.7	46.9	56.0	47.1	37.5	43.4	64.1	$10,048	$840	$9,209
Nancy Hanks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	19260 N Sr 162	Ferdinand	47532	Spencer County	North Spencer County School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 357-5091	296	16	18.9	32.8%	280 (94.6%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.7%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	93.8	40^th of 1005 public elementary schools	96.0%		94.3	35^th of 1011 public elementary schools	96.5%	5	61.5	63.0	61.8	73.9	64.6	84.6	74.1	76.5	69.6	76.4	63.0	78.3	70.0	61.8	$9,359	$176	$9,183
Holland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	408 Meridian St	Holland	47541	Dubois County	Southwest Dubois County School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 536-2441	244	16	15.0	41.8%	216 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.9%)	77.2	210^th of 1005 public elementary schools	79.1%		74	252^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	75.1%	42	58.8	48.7	42.4		50.0	91.2	81.1	60.6		77.9	67.6		67.6	18.2	$10,414	$447	$9,967
Lincoln Trail Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	13726 N Sr 245	Lamar	47550	Spencer County	North Spencer County School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 544-2929	380	19	19.7	32.4%	356 (93.7%)	4 (1.1%)	9 (2.4%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	87.7	110^th of 1005 public elementary schools	89.1%		89.6	76^th of 1011 public elementary schools	92.5%	34	62.0	56.1	61.8	54.6	58.3	82.0	59.7	69.1	59.1	66.7	59.7	53.0	56.1	67.3	$8,324	$176	$8,148
Huntingburg Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	501 W Sunset Dr	Huntingburg	47542	Dubois County	Southwest Dubois County School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(812) 683-1172	806	41	19.5	61.2%	415 (51.5%)	10 (1.2%)	362 (44.9%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.5%)	43.2	589^th of 1005 public elementary schools	41.4%		52.4	503^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	50.2%	86	33.9	39.4	34.1		35.8	43.8	38.6	32.6		38.2	35.4		35.4	36.4	$8,744	$826	$7,918
Ferdinand Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	402 E 8th St	Ferdinand	47532	Dubois County	Southeast Dubois County School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 817-0900	272	16	17.0	29.0%	255 (93.8%)	1 (0.4%)	12 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	89	91^st of 1005 public elementary schools	90.9%		85.5	120^th of 1011 public elementary schools	88.1%	29	63.5	61.9			62.8	75.0	66.7			71.3	61.9		61.9		$9,307	$298	$9,009
Tennyson Elementary School	Public	K-5	323 N Main St	Tennyson	47637	Warrick County	Warrick County School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(812) 567-4715	60	7	8.5	63.3%	60 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	76	222^nd of 1005 public elementary schools	77.9%		64.5	359^th of 1011 public elementary schools	64.5%	137		61.5	30.8		47.1		61.5	46.2		52.9	69.2		69.2	69.2	$21,193	$1,298	$19,895
Chrisney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	311 Church St	Chrisney	47611	Spencer County	North Spencer County School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(812) 362-8200	216	15	14.3	38.4%	209 (96.8%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	83.7	147^th of 1005 public elementary schools	85.4%		90.8	66^th of 1011 public elementary schools	93.5%	81	47.4	53.3	35.0	47.8	46.9	71.1	83.3	65.0	70.8	73.2	66.7	73.9	69.8	55.0	$9,843	$484	$9,360
Pine Ridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	4613 S Pine Ridge Rd	Birdseye	47513	Dubois County	Southeast Dubois County School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(812) 817-0900	235	16	14.6	35.3%	221 (94.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	84.1	145^th of 1005 public elementary schools	85.6%		63	373^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	63.1%	228	53.2	65.4			59.6	57.5	71.2			64.7	63.5		63.5		$9,819	$406	$9,413
Ireland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2386 N 500 W	Ireland	47545	Dubois County	Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools	No	No	No	No	(812) 482-7751	548	34	15.9	17.9%	517 (94.3%)	2 (0.4%)	19 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	94.8	26^th of 1005 public elementary schools	97.4%		88.4	87^th of 1011 public elementary schools	91.4%	61	53.6	67.0	77.1		66.7	87.0	78.7	84.3		82.9	71.3		71.3	71.1	$10,198	$186	$10,012

Frequently Asked Questions about David Turnham Education Center

What schools do graduates of David Turnham Education Center attend?

Students who attend David Turnham Education Center usually go on to attend:

Middle : Heritage Hills Middle School
High : Heritage Hills High School

What is the racial makeup of David Turnham Education Center?

Students at David Turnham Education Center are 70% White, 29% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend David Turnham Education Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 299 students attended David Turnham Education Center.

Is David Turnham Education Center a good school?

David Turnham Education Center ranks 251^st of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is David Turnham Education Center in?

North Spencer County School Corp

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Schools in Dale, IN

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.