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Webster, South Dakota - 3 schools
An equity score of 27/100 ranks Webster Area 18-5 #107 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,803 per pupil, Webster Area 18-5 ranks #117 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
551
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$10,803
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Webster Area 18-5 operates 3 public schools serving 551 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 Day County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,803 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 68.2% local, 17.6% state, and 14.3% 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 27/100, ranked #107 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.
a 320.4:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 26.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 90.1% White, 2.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Webster Area Elementary - 03, with a diversity index of 19.7/100.
Its largest campus is Webster Area Elementary - 03, enrolling 274 students (50% of the district's total enrollment).
Webster Area Elementary - 03 accounts for 49.7% of all Webster Area 18-5 student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Webster Area 18-5 a distant remainder — means Webster Area 18-5-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.
Webster Area 18-5 school enrollment varies 2.5× across entities
Webster Area 18-5 school enrollment ranges from 108 students (lowest) to 274 students (highest), a spread of 166 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.
Webster Area 18-5 student-counselor ratio is 320:1 — 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 Webster Area 18-5 is typically wider than the Webster Area 18-5-aggregate figure suggests.
Webster Area 18-5 chronic absenteeism rate is 26.6% — 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 Webster Area 18-5 is typically wider than the Webster Area 18-5-aggregate figure suggests.