Enrollment
101
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buffalo, SD
Buffalo Elementary - 02
Federal NCES profile for Buffalo Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 460930000087
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 80
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buffalo Elementary - 02 earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 16.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Buffalo Elementary - 02 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buffalo Elementary - 02 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Buffalo, SD.
School address
District: Harding County School District 31-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 460930000087 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.3%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buffalo Elementary - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buffalo Elementary - 02
Buffalo Elementary - 02 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Buffalo, South Dakota, enrolling 101 students.
At 12.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Dakota median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 16.3% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 101 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Dakota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 154 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #34.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment) (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 101 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Harding County School District 31-1 spends $17,270 per pupil, 28% above the South Dakota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Harding County School District 31-1 also operates Harding County High School - 01 (66 students) and Harding County Middle School - 03 (60 students) alongside Buffalo Elementary - 02.
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 Buffalo Elementary - 02 compares
Buffalo 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.3% | ▼ 43% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 101 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
101
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.3%
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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 43% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.9%
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
$17,270
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Dakota avg of $13,477
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 101 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
- 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
White 95.0%
Two or More 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Largest group: White at 95.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.6, Buffalo Elementary - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harding County School District 31-1, which includes Buffalo Elementary - 02.
$17,270
Per student
+28%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.6%
State 18.4%
Federal 15.0%
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.
How Buffalo Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harding County High School - 01 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harding County Middle School - 03 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ludlow Elementary - 06 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Camp Crook Elementary - 08 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buffalo Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 66
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 60
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 8
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 8
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
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 (~101 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buffalo Elementary - 02's federal record.
- Compare Buffalo Elementary - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Harding County School District 31-1'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 Buffalo Elementary - 02
How many students attend Buffalo Elementary - 02?
Buffalo Elementary - 02 has 101 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Buffalo, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Elementary - 02 is 12.6:1, which is 7% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 20% 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 Buffalo Elementary - 02?
16.3% of students at Buffalo Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buffalo Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Buffalo Elementary - 02 is White at 95.0% of enrollment, in Buffalo, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buffalo Elementary - 02?
Buffalo Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Buffalo Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Buffalo Elementary - 02 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Buffalo, 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 Buffalo on the city page.
Is Buffalo Elementary - 02 a good school?
Buffalo Elementary - 02 earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. 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 Harding County School District 31-1?
Besides Buffalo Elementary - 02, Harding County School District 31-1 also operates Harding County High School - 01 (66 students), Harding County Middle School - 03 (60 students), and Ludlow Elementary - 06 (8 students). See the Harding County School District 31-1 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.