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Timber Lake, South Dakota - 3 schools
An equity score of 94/100 ranks Timber Lake School District 20-3 #5 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,185 per pupil, Timber Lake School District 20-3 ranks #13 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
362
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$18,185
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Timber Lake School District 20-3 operates 3 public schools serving 362 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 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 Dewey County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,185 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 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 11.7% local, 21.5% state, and 66.8% federal, an unusually federal-heavy mix, typically a marker of concentrated Title I eligibility or a small district reliant on federal impact-aid programs. The district's equity score is 94/100, ranked #5 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 147.3:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 10.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 44.9% White, 1.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Timber Lake High School - 01, with a diversity index of 52.5/100.
Its largest campus is Timber Lake Elementary - 02, enrolling 185 students (50% of the district's total enrollment).
Timber Lake Elementary - 02 accounts for 49.7% of all Timber Lake School District 20-3 student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Timber Lake School District 20-3 a distant remainder — means Timber Lake School District 20-3-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.
Timber Lake School District 20-3 school enrollment varies 2.6× across entities
Timber Lake School District 20-3 school enrollment ranges from 70 students (lowest) to 185 students (highest), a spread of 115 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.
Timber Lake School District 20-3 student-counselor ratio is 147:1 — 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.
Timber Lake School District 20-3 chronic absenteeism rate is 10.1% — 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 Timber Lake School District 20-3'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 Timber Lake School District 20-3?
Timber Lake School District 20-3 has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 362 students.
How much does Timber Lake School District 20-3 spend per student?
Timber Lake School District 20-3 spends $18,185 per student. The district has an equity score of 94/100, ranking #5 in South Dakota.
What is the demographic composition of Timber Lake School District 20-3?
Timber Lake School District 20-3 students are 44.9% White, 1.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% African American, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Timber Lake School District 20-3?
Timber Lake School District 20-3 has an equity score of 94/100, ranking #5 out of 121 districts in South Dakota.