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WA School Funding Explorer
OSPI data · 2019-20 to 2024-25 (most recent published)

Pierce County · Puget Sound ESD 121

Dieringer School District funding

In 2024-25, Dieringer School District reported $29,984,055 in general-fund revenue for 1,410 funded students (1,468 enrolled in the October headcount), or $21,262 per student. The statewide median is $20,083.

Funded students
1,410
1,468 enrolled in October
Total revenue
$30.0M
General fund, 2024-25
Per student
$21,262
63th percentile statewide
Reserves
14.9%
Fund balance as a share of annual spending

Where the money comes from

Washington districts run on three main streams. The state formula pays for basic education; local levies fund enrichment on top of it; federal money is mostly targeted at specific student groups.

Dieringer School District general-fund revenue by source, 2024-25
SourceAmountShareWhat it covers
State$21,087,20670%The prototypical-school formula allocation, plus other state programs.
Local$6,961,13523%Voter-approved enrichment levies and other local revenue.
Federal$702,4092%Title I, IDEA, child nutrition and other federal programs.
Other$1,233,3054%Grants, fees and revenue from other districts and agencies.
Total$29,984,055100%

Source: OSPI F-196 general-fund revenue actuals, 2024-25. See Sources & Methodology for the revenue codes behind each row.

What the formula pays vs. what these programs cost

For three programs the state publishes both an allocation and what districts actually spent. Where spending runs above the allocation, the difference comes out of local levy, federal or other money.

Dieringer School District state allocation compared with actual spending, 2024-25
ProgramState allocationActually spentDifferencePer student
Special education$3,038,875$4,524,391+$1.5M+$1,053
Materials, supplies & operating costs (MSOC)$2,180,419$744,509−$1.4M−$1,018
Student transportation$1,460,597$1,429,198−$31K−$22

Across these three programs, Dieringer School District covered about $1.5M beyond what the state formula allocated in 2024-25.

Special education here is state programs 21, 22 and 26 - federally funded IDEA (program 24) is excluded from both sides, so the two columns describe the same thing. Read more on special education funding, MSOC and student transportation.

Students this district serves

Several state programs are funded on these counts, so a district's mix of students shapes its allocation as much as its total enrollment does. Shares are of the October headcount.

Dieringer School District student demographics compared with the statewide share
Student groupStudentsDistrict shareStatewide share
Low income34723.6%49.6%
English learners1288.7%15.0%
Students with disabilities19913.6%16.3%
Highly capable845.7%8.0%
Experiencing homelessness50.3%3.8%
Migrant00.0%2.0%

Local levy and Local Effort Assistance

Enrichment levies are capped per student by state law, and property-poor districts receive Local Effort Assistance to close part of the gap between what their property base raises and the statewide goal.

Voter-approved levy
$8,410,000
Levy rate
$1.91 per $1,000 of value
Local Effort Assistance received
$0

About $70K of the levy voters approved here is above the statutory per-student cap, so the district cannot collect it without a change to the cap rather than a new election.

This district does not qualify for Local Effort Assistance - its property base raises more than the statewide goal at the standard rate. The full formula is walked through step by step on how Local Effort Assistance works, with more context on school levies and LEA.

Spending, surplus and reserves

Total revenue
$29,984,055
Total spending
$30,148,390
Deficit
−$164K
Revenue minus spending, 2024-25
Ending fund balance
$4,489,741
14.9% of spending

A reserve ratio of 14.9% is at or above the 5% level Washington districts commonly treat as a minimum cushion.

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