Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bison, SD

Bison Elementary - 02

Federal NCES profile for Bison Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 460705000054
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10056/100
👥 S:T ratio
68
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
62
📋 Attendance
66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Bison Elementary - 02 earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of South Dakota schools.

#2 of 3
public schools in Bison · Resource Index
56
Resource Index · Higher
8.1:1
small classes for South Dakota
16.4%
free-lunch eligible

Bison Elementary - 02 has class sizes smaller than 88% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Bison Elementary - 02 ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Bison, SD.

School address

Bison, SD 57620
District: Bison School District 52-1 · South Dakota

NCES ID 460705000054 Verify on NCES CCD record →

NCES CCD universe card

School universe 460705000054 · Bison, SD Elementary · SMALL · TRAD

65 enr · 8.1:1 · 16.4% lunch · RII 56

Nearest enrollment peer: Bison High School - 01 (52 students)

Resource Investment Index #2 of 3 public schools in Bison. NCES Common Core of Data stamps for this campus. Read with this school → · District book → · South Dakota schools → · Find another →

Bison Elementary - 02 in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Bison Elementary - 02 reports 65 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Bison Elementary - 02 compares

Bison Elementary - 02 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 8.1:1 ▼ 40% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 16.4% ▼ 43% 28.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 65 top 63% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

8.1:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
65
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
16.4%
free-lunch eligible - 43% below 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
8.1:1
students per teacher - 40% below state mean
Top 12% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$17,642
per pupil, district-wide - above South Dakota avg of $13,985
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 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.

Student demographics

White 89.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.6%

Largest group: White at 89.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 19.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 19.8, Bison Elementary - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bison School District 52-1, which includes Bison Elementary - 02.

$17,642
Per student
+26%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,985
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 61.9%
State 19.3%
Federal 18.9%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Bison Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Bison High School - 01 Similar size Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Bison Jr. High - 04 Smaller Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Bison Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Bison School District 52-1 · 2 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide elementary schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~65 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.1:1)

Frequently asked questions about Bison Elementary - 02

How many students attend Bison Elementary - 02?

Bison Elementary - 02 has 65 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bison, SD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Bison Elementary - 02?

The student-teacher ratio at Bison Elementary - 02 is 8.1:1, which is 40% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 48% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bison Elementary - 02?

16.4% of students at Bison Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bison Elementary - 02?

The largest demographic group at Bison Elementary - 02 is White at 89.2% of enrollment, in Bison, SD.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Bison Elementary - 02?

Bison Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Bison Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Bison?

By Resource Investment Index, Bison Elementary - 02 ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Bison, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking.

What other schools are in Bison School District 52-1?

Besides Bison Elementary - 02, Bison School District 52-1 also operates Bison High School - 01 (52 students) and Bison Jr. High - 04 (18 students). See the Bison School District 52-1 district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

Compiled from official source data by .

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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.