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David Turnham Education Center

Public Grades PK, KG-6
176th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,015 Indiana Elementary Schools
Better than 83% of Indiana elementary schools
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.

299
Students ?
16.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$10,048
Per pupil spending ?
52.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 Dunn & Locust Sts
       Dale, IN  47523

(812) 937-2400

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%
more
 See top rated Indiana elementary schools

 Compare David Turnham Education Center to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 79th percentile in 2016 → 83rd in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Indiana average (58% vs 47% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 17% of Indiana elementary schools
Worth a look
!Near the bottom of North Spencer County School Corp's ranking
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school58%
District avg64%
Indiana avg47%
176th of 1,015
Indiana public elementary schools ?
Top 17%▲ up 3 pts since 2016
From top 21% (2016) to top 17% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 4Elementary Schools in the North Spencer County School Corp
11th of 374North 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIndiana percentileRating
202680.5176 of 101582.7%★★★★☆
202573.7251 of 100575.0%★★★★☆
202475.8226 of 101177.6%★★★★☆
202390.862 of 101693.9%★★★★★
202289.774 of 102092.7%★★★★★
202192.453 of 101694.8%★★★★★
201987.092 of 103191.1%★★★★★
201883.8120 of 102788.3%★★★★☆
201772.8268 of 103374.1%★★★★☆
201675.2216 of 104679.3%★★★★☆
201568.2326 of 104068.7%★★★☆☆
201470.7289 of 103672.1%★★★★☆
201385.958 of 103594.4%★★★★★
201280.7136 of 101586.6%★★★★☆
201180.8117 of 102588.6%★★★★☆
201075.3206 of 100979.6%★★★★☆
200977.8179 of 100382.2%★★★★☆
200882.1109 of 99689.1%★★★★☆
200778.9150 of 98584.8%★★★★☆
200681.7113 of 96188.2%★★★★☆
200588.051 of 95994.7%★★★★★
200463.2120 of 32663.2%★★★☆☆
By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?
Math61%
English Language Arts59%
Science55%
Social Studies49%~ state avg

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a student
Friday, April 9, 2021

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





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Frequently Asked Questions about David Turnham Education Center

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

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

David Turnham Education Center ranks 176th of 1015 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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

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

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Latest Indiana data All new data »
2025–26 ILEARN & SAT test scoresNewSep 25, 2026
2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025
2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJul 16, 2025


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.

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