Enrollment
101
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Custer, SD
Custer Jr. High - 05
Federal NCES profile for Custer Jr. High - 05, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 461695000992
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 80
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Custer Jr. High - 05 earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Custer · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 15.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Custer Jr. High - 05 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Custer Jr. High - 05 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Custer, SD.
School address
District: Custer School District 16-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 461695000992 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.8%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Custer Jr. High - 05 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Custer Jr. High - 05
Custer Jr. High - 05 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Custer, South Dakota, enrolling 101 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.4:1 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 15.8% 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 #25.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 101 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
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 Custer Elementary - 02 (269 students) alongside Custer Jr. High - 05.
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 Jr. High - 05 compares
Custer Jr. High - 05 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 | 14.4:1 | ▲ 6% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.8% | ▼ 45% | 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
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
101
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 63% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 101 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.9 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 88.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Two or More 1.0%
Largest group: White at 88.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.7, Custer Jr. High - 05 is less mixed than 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 Jr. High - 05.
$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 Jr. High - 05 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custer High School - 01 | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Custer Elementary - 02 | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hermosa Elementary - 04 | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Custer Jr. High - 05'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
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 181
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar middle 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 Custer Jr. High - 05's federal record.
- Compare Custer Jr. High - 05 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 Jr. High - 05
How many students attend Custer Jr. High - 05?
Custer Jr. High - 05 has 101 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Custer, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Custer Jr. High - 05?
The student-teacher ratio at Custer Jr. High - 05 is 14.4:1, which is 6% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Custer Jr. High - 05?
15.8% of students at Custer Jr. High - 05 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Custer Jr. High - 05?
The largest demographic group at Custer Jr. High - 05 is White at 88.1% of enrollment, in Custer, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Custer Jr. High - 05?
Custer Jr. High - 05 has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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 Jr. High - 05 rank among public schools in Custer?
By Resource Investment Index, Custer Jr. High - 05 ranks #1 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 Jr. High - 05 a good school?
Custer Jr. High - 05 earns 59/100 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 Custer School District 16-1?
Besides Custer Jr. High - 05, Custer School District 16-1 also operates Custer High School - 01 (272 students), Custer Elementary - 02 (269 students), and Hermosa Elementary - 04 (181 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.