Summary
David Turnham Education Center is a PK–6 elementary school in Dale, Indiana, serving 299 students as part of the North Spencer County School Corp, a highly rated district that ranks 11th of 374 Indiana districts (97th percentile, 5 stars).
In 2025–26 the school ranked 176th of 1,015 Indiana elementary schools (83rd percentile, 4 stars). Its history shows a peak-and-settle pattern: it sat in the top 10% of Indiana elementary schools in 2020–21 (53rd, 95th percentile), 2021–22 (74th, 93rd) and 2022–23 (62nd, 94th), slipped in 2023–24 (226th, 78th) and 2024–25 (251st, 75th), then rebounded to 176th. Test scores follow a similar arc. All-grade ILEARN proficiency in 2025–26 was 59.38% in English Language Arts, 61.25% in Math and 55.13% in Science — above Indiana averages at every tested grade level, but below the district's 63.63%, 67.41% and 61.79%. Results improved over 2024–25 yet remain below 2022–23 levels.
Within North Spencer, David Turnham is currently the lowest-ranked of four elementary peers: Nancy Hanks Elementary School (24th statewide, 98th percentile), Lincoln Trail Elementary School (82nd, 92nd) and Chrisney Elementary School (141st, 86th). Its Math and Science scores are the lowest of the four, though its ELA edges past Chrisney's. Compared with nearby schools outside the district, David Turnham's ELA is stronger than Ireland Elementary School, Holland Elementary School, Ferdinand Elementary School, Lynnville Elementary School, Pine Ridge Elementary School, Tennyson Elementary School and Huntingburg Elementary School. Chronic absenteeism is a clear strength: 5.9% in 2024–25, below the district's 7.0% and the state's 16.7%, down from 11.7% in 2021–22. About 52% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — higher than its same-district peers — and per-student spending reached $10,048 in 2023–24, with a student-teacher ratio of 16.0.
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