Enrollment
269
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Custer, SD
Custer Elementary - 02
Federal NCES profile for Custer 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 461695000154
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Custer Elementary - 02 earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of South Dakota schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Custer · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.3:1
- small classes for South Dakota
- 16.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Custer Elementary - 02 has class sizes smaller than 76% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Custer Elementary - 02 ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Custer, SD.
School address
District: Custer School District 16-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 461695000154 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.1%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Custer Elementary - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Custer Elementary - 02
Custer Elementary - 02 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Custer, South Dakota, enrolling 269 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 16.1% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 269 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Among 87 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 135 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Custer School District 16-1 also operates Custer High School - 01 (272 students) and Hermosa Elementary - 04 (181 students) alongside Custer 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 Custer Elementary - 02 compares
Custer 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 24% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.1% | ▼ 44% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
269
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 24% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.4%
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
$13,911
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 135 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 84.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
Two or More 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
Largest group: White at 84.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.4, Custer Elementary - 02 is about as mixed as the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Custer School District 16-1, which includes Custer Elementary - 02.
$13,911
Per student
+3%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.4%
State 2.4%
Federal 20.2%
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 Custer Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custer High School - 01 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hermosa Elementary - 04 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Custer Jr. High - 05 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Custer Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 272
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 181
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
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 (~269 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Custer Elementary - 02's federal record.
- Compare Custer Elementary - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Custer School District 16-1'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 Custer Elementary - 02
How many students attend Custer Elementary - 02?
Custer Elementary - 02 has 269 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Custer, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Custer Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Custer Elementary - 02 is 10.3:1, which is 24% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 34% 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 Custer Elementary - 02?
16.1% of students at Custer Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Custer Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Custer Elementary - 02 is White at 84.0% of enrollment, in Custer, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Custer Elementary - 02?
Custer 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 Custer Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Custer?
By Resource Investment Index, Custer Elementary - 02 ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Custer, 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 Custer on the city page.
Is Custer Elementary - 02 a good school?
Custer Elementary - 02 earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of South Dakota schools. 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 Custer School District 16-1?
Besides Custer Elementary - 02, Custer School District 16-1 also operates Custer High School - 01 (272 students), Hermosa Elementary - 04 (181 students), and Custer Jr. High - 05 (101 students). See the Custer School District 16-1 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.