Enrollment
7
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Plankinton, SD
Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04
Federal NCES profile for Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 465571001276
👥 S:T ratio 72
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of South Dakota schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in South Dakota.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Plankinton · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7:1
- small classes for South Dakota
- 7
- students enrolled
Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 has class sizes smaller than 93% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Plankinton, SD.
School address
District: Plankinton School District 01-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 465571001276 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04
Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 is a small elementary school in Plankinton, South Dakota, enrolling 7 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7:1, Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 is leaner than roughly 93% of South Dakota schools and 49% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of South Dakota schools, with 7 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Its student body is led by American Indian / Alaska Native (57%) and White (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).
Among Plankinton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Dakota Reach Middle School - 07 (2 students): Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 is larger than that campus by headcount.
Plankinton School District 01-1 also operates Plankinton Elementary - 02 (132 students) and Plankinton High School - 01 (86 students) alongside Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 compares
Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 on the metrics families compare, against South Dakota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs South Dakota | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7:1 | ▼ 49% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 7 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
7
Bigger than 1% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
7:1
students per teacher
- 49% below state mean
Top 7% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$13,418
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
American Indian / Alaska Native 57.1%
White 28.6%
Two or More 14.3%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 57.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 is more mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plankinton School District 01-1, which includes Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04.
$13,418
Per student
0%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.1%
State 42.4%
Federal 8.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plankinton Elementary - 02 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plankinton High School - 01 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plankinton Jr. High - 03 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aurora Plains Academy High School - 05 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dakota Reach - 06 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 132
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 86
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 49
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- 3.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 5
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Plankinton
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~7 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04's federal record.
- Compare Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 against another school. Compare schools
- Plankinton School District 01-1's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04
How many students attend Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04?
Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 has 7 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Plankinton, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04?
The student-teacher ratio at Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 is 7:1, which is 49% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 55% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04?
The largest demographic group at Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 is American Indian / Alaska Native at 57.1% of enrollment, in Plankinton, SD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04?
Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 rank among public schools in Plankinton?
By Resource Investment Index, Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Plankinton, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Plankinton on the city page.
Is Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 a good school?
Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04 earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of South Dakota schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in South Dakota. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Plankinton School District 01-1?
Besides Aurora Plains Academy Middle School - 04, Plankinton School District 01-1 also operates Plankinton Elementary - 02 (132 students), Plankinton High School - 01 (86 students), and Plankinton Jr. High - 03 (49 students). See the Plankinton School District 01-1 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.