Enrollment
246
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dakota City, NE
Dakota City Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Dakota City Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 317686001610
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dakota City Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median.
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 53.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 246
- students enrolled
Dakota City Elementary School has class sizes near the Nebraska median. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: So Sioux City Community Schs · Nebraska
NCES ID 317686001610 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.9%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dakota City Elementary School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dakota City Elementary School
Dakota City Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Dakota City, Nebraska, enrolling 246 students.
At 12.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Nebraska median, within a few percentage points of the 13.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 53.9% of students qualify for free meals, 74% above the Nebraska average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 246 students, its enrollment sits close to the Nebraska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Against 85 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #12.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and White (27%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 259 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
10.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding So Sioux City Community Schs spends $13,919 per pupil, 21% below the Nebraska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
So Sioux City Community Schs also operates South Sioux High School (1,193 students) and South Sioux City Middle School (781 students) alongside Dakota City Elementary School.
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 Dakota City Elementary School compares
Dakota City Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.9% | ▲ 74% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 246 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
246
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 42% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.6%
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
$13,919
per pupil, district-wide
- below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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
Hispanic or Latino 62.6%
White 27.2%
Asian 5.7%
African American 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Two or More 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.0, Dakota City Elementary School is more mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for So Sioux City Community Schs, which includes Dakota City Elementary School.
$13,919
Per student
-21%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.0%
State 60.0%
Federal 12.0%
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 Dakota City Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Sioux High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Sioux City Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cardinal Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Covington Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harney Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dakota City Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,193
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 781
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 328
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~246 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dakota City Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Dakota City Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- So Sioux City Community Schs'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 Dakota City Elementary School
How many students attend Dakota City Elementary School?
Dakota City Elementary School has 246 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dakota City, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dakota City Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dakota City Elementary School is 12.3:1, which is 9% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 22% 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 Dakota City Elementary School?
53.9% of students at Dakota City Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dakota City Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dakota City Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment, in Dakota City, NE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dakota City Elementary School?
Dakota City Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (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).
Is Dakota City Elementary School a good school?
Dakota City Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska 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 So Sioux City Community Schs?
Besides Dakota City Elementary School, So Sioux City Community Schs also operates South Sioux High School (1,193 students), South Sioux City Middle School (781 students), and Cardinal Elementary School (424 students). See the So Sioux City Community Schs 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.