Enrollment
739
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Box Elder, SD
Douglas High School - 03
Federal NCES profile for Douglas High School - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 461941000174
👥 S:T ratio 33
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Douglas High School - 03 earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of South Dakota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Dakota.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Box Elder · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.8:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 16.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Douglas High School - 03 has class sizes larger than 83% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Douglas High School - 03 ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Box Elder, SD.
School address
District: Douglas School District 51-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 461941000174 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.7%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Douglas High School - 03 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Douglas High School - 03
Douglas High School - 03 is a lower-poverty, large high school in Box Elder, South Dakota, enrolling 739 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 16.7% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Dakota, bigger than 96% of state schools at 739 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 691 South Dakota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 56 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #56, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 50/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 370 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 31.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 169 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 739 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Douglas School District 51-1 also operates Patriot Elementary -06 (982 students) and Douglas Middle School - 01 (633 students) alongside Douglas High School - 03.
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 Douglas High School - 03 compares
Douglas High School - 03 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 24% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.7% | ▼ 42% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 739 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
739
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 83% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,366
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 370 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
140
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.9 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 68.9%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
Two or More 10.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.3%
African American 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 68.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.7, Douglas High School - 03 is more mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Douglas School District 51-1, which includes Douglas High School - 03.
$12,366
Per student
-8%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.1%
State 47.1%
Federal 31.8%
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 Douglas High School - 03 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Elementary -06 | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Douglas Middle School - 01 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vandenberg Elementary - 02 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Douglas High School - 03's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 982
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar high 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 (~739 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Douglas High School - 03's federal record.
- Compare Douglas High School - 03 against another school. Compare schools
- Douglas School District 51-1'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 Douglas High School - 03
How many students attend Douglas High School - 03?
Douglas High School - 03 has 739 students enrolled. It is a high school in Box Elder, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Douglas High School - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Douglas High School - 03 is 16.8:1, which is 24% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Douglas High School - 03?
16.7% of students at Douglas High School - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Douglas High School - 03?
The largest demographic group at Douglas High School - 03 is White at 68.9% of enrollment, in Box Elder, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Douglas High School - 03?
Douglas High School - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Douglas High School - 03 rank among public schools in Box Elder?
By Resource Investment Index, Douglas High School - 03 ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Box Elder, 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 Box Elder on the city page.
Is Douglas High School - 03 a good school?
Douglas High School - 03 earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of South Dakota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Dakota. 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 Douglas School District 51-1?
Besides Douglas High School - 03, Douglas School District 51-1 also operates Patriot Elementary -06 (982 students), Douglas Middle School - 01 (633 students), and Vandenberg Elementary - 02 (454 students). See the Douglas School District 51-1 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.