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Custer, South Dakota - 4 schools
An equity score of 60/100 ranks Custer School District 16-1 #34 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,911 per pupil, Custer School District 16-1 ranks #49 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
911
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$13,911
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Custer School District 16-1 operates 4 public schools serving 911 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Custer County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,911 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending. See how South Dakota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 77.4% local, 2.4% state, and 20.2% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 60/100, ranked #34 of 121 in South Dakota against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 172.1:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 15.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 86.8% White, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Custer Elementary - 02, with a diversity index of 28.4/100.
Its largest campus is Custer High School - 01, enrolling 272 students (33% of the district's total enrollment).
Custer High School - 01 accounts for 29.9% of all Custer School District 16-1 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Custer School District 16-1-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Custer School District 16-1 school enrollment varies 2.7× across entities
Custer School District 16-1 school enrollment ranges from 101 students (lowest) to 272 students (highest), a spread of 171 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Custer School District 16-1 student-counselor ratio is 172:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Custer School District 16-1 chronic absenteeism rate is 15.9% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Custer School District 16-1 is typically wider than the Custer School District 16-1-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Custer School District 16-1?
Custer School District 16-1 has 4 schools, including 1 high, 2 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 911 students.
How much does Custer School District 16-1 spend per student?
Custer School District 16-1 spends $13,911 per student. The district has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #34 in South Dakota.
What is the demographic composition of Custer School District 16-1?
Custer School District 16-1 students are 86.8% White, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% African American, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Custer School District 16-1?
Custer School District 16-1 has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #34 out of 121 districts in South Dakota.