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Wessington Springs, South Dakota - 7 schools
An equity score of 23/100 ranks Wessington Springs School District 36-2 #114 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,078 per pupil, Wessington Springs School District 36-2 ranks #109 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
422
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$11,078
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 operates 7 public schools serving 422 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high, 2 middle, 2 elementary, 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 Jerauld County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,078 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 62.1% local, 27.4% state, and 10.5% 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 23/100, ranked #114 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 65.9:1 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 91.5% White, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Wessington Springs Middle School Cyber School - 93, with a diversity index of 48.3/100.
Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 accounts for 31.5% of all Wessington Springs School District 36-2 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Wessington Springs School District 36-2-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.
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 school enrollment varies 29× across entities
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 school enrollment ranges from 5 students (lowest) to 145 students (highest), a spread of 140 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 student-counselor ratio is 66:1 — 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.
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 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 Wessington Springs School District 36-2'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 Wessington Springs School District 36-2?
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 has 7 schools, including 1 combined, 2 high, 2 middle, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 422 students.
How much does Wessington Springs School District 36-2 spend per student?
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 spends $11,078 per student. The district has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #114 in South Dakota.
What is the demographic composition of Wessington Springs School District 36-2?
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 students are 91.5% White, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% African American, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Wessington Springs School District 36-2?
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #114 out of 121 districts in South Dakota.