Enrollment
57
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 460561001277
Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09 — Belle Fourche, SD
Federal NCES profile for Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 24
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 8
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: Belle Fourche School District 09-1 · South 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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09 compares with South 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
Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09 reports 57 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 41% above the South Dakota state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% above the South Dakota average and 39% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 228 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Belle Fourche School District 09-1 spends $11,450 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.6% from local sources (property taxes), 41.5% from the state, and 20.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09 compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South 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 South Dakota | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19:1 | ▲ 41% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.6% | ▲ 10% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 57 | top 33% | — | — |
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
31.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% above the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19:1
students per teacher
— 41% above state mean
Top 93% in South 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
36.8%
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
$11,450
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Dakota avg of $16,140
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 228 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 57 Top 33% in South Dakota — larger than 67% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 19:1 +41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.6% +10% vs state
NCES ID 460561001277
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 228:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belle Fourche School District 09-1, which includes Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09.
$11,450
Per student
-29%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.6%
State 41.5%
Federal 20.0%
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
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 89
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Similar high schools in Belle Fourche
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09
How many students attend Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09?
Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09 has 57 students enrolled. It is a high school in Belle Fourche, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09?
The student-teacher ratio at Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09 is 19:1, which is 41% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09?
31.6% of students at Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09?
Belle Fourche Education Connection - 09 has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 5 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.