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Spearfish, South Dakota - 7 schools
An equity score of 31/100 ranks Spearfish School District 40-2 #95 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $9,880 per pupil, Spearfish School District 40-2 ranks #137 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,423
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$9,880
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Spearfish School District 40-2 operates 7 public schools serving 2,423 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 2 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 Lawrence County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $9,880 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 15 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 56.5% local, 31.6% state, and 11.9% 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 31/100, ranked #95 of 121 in South Dakota against a state average of 51, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 338.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 14.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.2% White, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills High School - 10, with a diversity index of 59.5/100.
Spearfish High School - 01 accounts for 32.5% of all Spearfish School District 40-2 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Spearfish School District 40-2-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.
Spearfish School District 40-2 school enrollment varies 394× across entities
Spearfish School District 40-2 school enrollment ranges from 2 students (lowest) to 787 students (highest), a spread of 785 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Spearfish School District 40-2 student-counselor ratio is 339:1 — 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 Spearfish School District 40-2 is typically wider than the Spearfish School District 40-2-aggregate figure suggests.
Spearfish School District 40-2 chronic absenteeism rate is 14.3% — 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 Spearfish School District 40-2'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 Spearfish School District 40-2?
Spearfish School District 40-2 has 7 schools, including 2 high, 4 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 2,423 students.
How much does Spearfish School District 40-2 spend per student?
Spearfish School District 40-2 spends $9,880 per student. The district has an equity score of 31/100, ranking #95 in South Dakota.
What is the demographic composition of Spearfish School District 40-2?
Spearfish School District 40-2 students are 76.2% White, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% African American, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Spearfish School District 40-2?
Spearfish School District 40-2 has an equity score of 31/100, ranking #95 out of 121 districts in South Dakota.