At $17,420 per pupil, South Central 26-5 ranks #20 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
81
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$17,420
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South Central 26-5 operates 1 public schools serving 81 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined 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 Gregory County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,420 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 37.2% local, 7.2% state, and 55.7% federal, an unusually federal-heavy mix, typically a marker of concentrated Title I eligibility or a small district reliant on federal impact-aid programs.
a 260:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 15.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 61.5% White across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is South Central Elementary - 03, enrolling 52 students (100% of the district's total enrollment).
South Central Elementary - 03 accounts for 64.2% of all South Central 26-5 student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of South Central 26-5 a distant remainder — means South Central 26-5-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: combined. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.
South Central 26-5 student-counselor ratio is 260:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within South Central 26-5 is typically wider than the South Central 26-5-aggregate figure suggests.
South Central 26-5 chronic absenteeism rate is 15.4% — 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 South Central 26-5 is typically wider than the South Central 26-5-aggregate figure suggests.