Enrollment
158
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mcville, ND
Dakota Prairie Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Dakota Prairie Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 380004000416
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dakota Prairie Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota median.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.9:1
- students per teacher
- 20.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 158
- students enrolled
Dakota Prairie Elementary School has class sizes near the North Dakota median. Computed live against every North Dakota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dakota Prairie 1 · North Dakota
NCES ID 380004000416 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 11.8:1 North Dakota avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.2%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dakota Prairie Elementary School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dakota Prairie Elementary School
Dakota Prairie Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Mcville, North Dakota, enrolling 158 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 20.2% lands close to the North Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 158 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Dakota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 498 scored North Dakota schools.
Among 118 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #10, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 158 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district, Dakota Prairie 1, also runs Dakota Prairie High School (130 students).
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 Prairie Elementary School compares
Dakota Prairie Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against North Dakota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.9:1 | ▼ 16% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.2% | ▼ 28% | 28.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 158 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.9:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
158
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% below the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.9:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 35% in North Dakota - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$18,661
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Dakota avg of $18,450
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 158 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 93.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Two or More 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 93.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.4, Dakota Prairie Elementary School is less mixed than the North Dakota school average of 29.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dakota Prairie 1, which includes Dakota Prairie Elementary School.
$18,661
Per student
+1%
vs North Dakota
Avg $18,450
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.6%
State 50.3%
Federal 14.1%
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 Prairie Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Prairie High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dakota Prairie Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 130
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~158 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dakota Prairie Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Dakota Prairie Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Dakota Prairie 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 Dakota Prairie Elementary School
How many students attend Dakota Prairie Elementary School?
Dakota Prairie Elementary School has 158 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mcville, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dakota Prairie Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dakota Prairie Elementary School is 9.9:1, which is 16% lower than the North Dakota average of 11.8:1 and 37% 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 Prairie Elementary School?
20.2% of students at Dakota Prairie Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dakota Prairie Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dakota Prairie Elementary School is White at 93.0% of enrollment, in Mcville, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dakota Prairie Elementary School?
Dakota Prairie Elementary School 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).
Is Dakota Prairie Elementary School a good school?
Dakota Prairie Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North 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 Dakota Prairie 1?
Besides Dakota Prairie Elementary School, Dakota Prairie 1 also operates Dakota Prairie High School (130 students). See the Dakota Prairie 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.