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Forestburg, South Dakota - 4 schools
An equity score of 71/100 ranks Sanborn Central School District 55-5 #24 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,977 per pupil, Sanborn Central School District 55-5 ranks #47 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
210
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$13,977
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 operates 4 public schools serving 210 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high 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 Sanborn County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,977 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 56.4% local, 24.7% state, and 18.9% 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 71/100, ranked #24 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.
a 158.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 11.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.3% White, 1.3% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sanborn Central Elementary - 06, with a diversity index of 13.1/100.
Sanborn Central Elementary - 06 accounts for 48.1% of all Sanborn Central School District 55-5 student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Sanborn Central School District 55-5 a distant remainder — means Sanborn Central School District 55-5-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.
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 school enrollment varies 3.1× across entities
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 school enrollment ranges from 33 students (lowest) to 102 students (highest), a spread of 69 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.
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 student-counselor ratio is 159:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
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 below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 chronic absenteeism rate is 11.6% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Sanborn Central School District 55-5's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in South Dakota
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Sanborn Central School District 55-5?
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 has 4 schools, including 1 combined, 1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high. Total enrollment is 210 students.
How much does Sanborn Central School District 55-5 spend per student?
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 spends $13,977 per student. The district has an equity score of 71/100, ranking #24 in South Dakota.
What is the demographic composition of Sanborn Central School District 55-5?
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 students are 95.3% White, 1.3% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Sanborn Central School District 55-5?
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 has an equity score of 71/100, ranking #24 out of 121 districts in South Dakota.