Enrollment
295
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 461812000837
Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 — Dell Rapids, SD
Federal NCES profile for Dell Rapids Middle School - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 80
📋 Attendance 69
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Dell Rapids School District 49-3 · South Dakota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.7%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 reports 295 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the South Dakota state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 9.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 66% below the South Dakota average and 81% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 98 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dell Rapids School District 49-3 spends $12,415 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.3% from local sources (property taxes), 29.7% from the state, and 14.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South Dakota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs South Dakota | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▲ 5% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.7% | ▼ 66% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 295 | top 77% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
9.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 66% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 61% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,415
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Dakota avg of $16,140
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 98 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 295 Top 77% in South Dakota — larger than 23% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 9.7% -66% vs state
NCES ID 461812000837
Student demographics
White 92.5%
Two or More 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
African American 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 92.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 98:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.5%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dell Rapids School District 49-3, which includes Dell Rapids Middle School - 03.
$12,415
Per student
-23%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 56.3%
State 29.7%
Federal 14.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 315
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Dell Rapids
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Dell Rapids Middle School - 03
How many students attend Dell Rapids Middle School - 03?
Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 has 295 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Dell Rapids, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dell Rapids Middle School - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 is 14.2:1, which is 5% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dell Rapids Middle School - 03?
9.7% of students at Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dell Rapids Middle School - 03?
The largest demographic group at Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 is White at 92.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dell Rapids, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dell Rapids Middle School - 03?
Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.