Enrollment
538
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 381254000414
Badlands Elementary School — Watford City, ND
Federal NCES profile for Badlands Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 30
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Mckenzie Co 1 · North Dakota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 11.7:1 North Dakota avg
+42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.3%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Badlands Elementary School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Badlands Elementary School reports 538 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 42% above the North Dakota state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% above the North Dakota average and 28% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 538 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mckenzie Co 1 spends $26,594 per pupil district-wide, above the North Dakota average of $22,219 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 69.6% from local sources (property taxes), 17.3% from the state, and 13.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Badlands Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Dakota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.6:1 | ▲ 42% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.3% | ▲ 32% | 28.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 538 | top 91% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
37.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% above the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 42% above state mean
Top 93% in North Dakota — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,594
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Dakota avg of $22,219
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 538 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 538 Top 91% in North Dakota — larger than 9% of 499 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 +42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.3% +32% vs state
NCES ID 381254000414
Student demographics
White 61.0%
Hispanic or Latino 30.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.0%
Two or More 2.4%
African American 1.7%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 61.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 538:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.1%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mckenzie Co 1, which includes Badlands Elementary School.
$26,594
Per student
+20%
vs North Dakota
Avg $22,219
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 69.6%
State 17.3%
Federal 13.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 663
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 30
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Badlands Elementary School
How many students attend Badlands Elementary School?
Badlands Elementary School has 538 students enrolled. It is a other school in Watford City, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Badlands Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Badlands Elementary School is 16.6:1, which is 42% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.7:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Badlands Elementary School?
37.3% of students at Badlands Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Badlands Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Badlands Elementary School is White at 61.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Watford City, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Badlands Elementary School?
Badlands Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.