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Milbank, South Dakota - 4 schools
An equity score of 50/100 ranks Milbank School District 25-4 #56 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,179 per pupil, Milbank School District 25-4 ranks #83 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,033
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$12,179
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Milbank School District 25-4 operates 4 public schools serving 1,033 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Grant County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,179 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower 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 60.9% local, 21.1% state, and 18.1% 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 50/100, ranked #56 of 121 in South Dakota against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 506:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 13.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 84.7% White, 11.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Milbank Elementary - 03, with a diversity index of 38.0/100.
Its largest campus is Milbank Elementary - 03, enrolling 408 students (42% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Blue Sky Colony - 04, at 10 students, a 41x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Milbank Elementary - 03 accounts for 39.5% of all Milbank School District 25-4 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Milbank School District 25-4-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Milbank School District 25-4 school enrollment varies 41× across entities
Milbank School District 25-4 school enrollment ranges from 10 students (lowest) to 408 students (highest), a spread of 398 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Milbank School District 25-4 student-counselor ratio is 506:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Milbank School District 25-4 chronic absenteeism rate is 13.8% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
How many schools are in Milbank School District 25-4?
Milbank School District 25-4 has 4 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,033 students.
How much does Milbank School District 25-4 spend per student?
Milbank School District 25-4 spends $12,179 per student. The district has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #56 in South Dakota.
What is the demographic composition of Milbank School District 25-4?
Milbank School District 25-4 students are 84.7% White, 11.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Milbank School District 25-4?
Milbank School District 25-4 has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #56 out of 121 districts in South Dakota.