Enrollment
42
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Carpenter, SD
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04
Federal NCES profile for Fordham Colony Elementary - 04, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 461294001081
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Dakota schools.
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 42
- students enrolled
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Clark School District 12-2 · South Dakota
NCES ID 461294001081 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fordham Colony Elementary - 04
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 is a mid-sized elementary school in Carpenter, South Dakota, enrolling 42 students.
At 14:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Dakota median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 42 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Among Carpenter's elementary schools, it stands alongside Shamrock Colony Elementary - 05 (21 students): Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14:1 vs 10.5:1).
Clark School District 12-2 also operates Clark Elementary - 02 (212 students) and Clark High School - 01 (124 students) alongside Fordham Colony Elementary - 04.
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 Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 compares
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 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 | 14:1 | ▲ 3% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 42 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
42
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 58% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$11,435
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clark School District 12-2, which includes Fordham Colony Elementary - 04.
$11,435
Per student
-15%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 64.0%
State 24.9%
Federal 11.0%
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 Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark Elementary - 02 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clark High School - 01 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clark Middle School - 03 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hillcrest Colony Elementary - 05 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Silver Lake Colony - 07 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fordham Colony Elementary - 04's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 212
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 124
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 72
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 5.3:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar elementary schools in Carpenter
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~42 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fordham Colony Elementary - 04's federal record.
- Compare Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 against another school. Compare schools
- Clark School District 12-2'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 Fordham Colony Elementary - 04
How many students attend Fordham Colony Elementary - 04?
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 has 42 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Carpenter, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fordham Colony Elementary - 04?
The student-teacher ratio at Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 is 14:1, which is 3% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fordham Colony Elementary - 04?
The largest demographic group at Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 is White at 100.0% of enrollment, in Carpenter, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fordham Colony Elementary - 04?
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
Is Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 a good school?
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04 earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Dakota schools. 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 Clark School District 12-2?
Besides Fordham Colony Elementary - 04, Clark School District 12-2 also operates Clark Elementary - 02 (212 students), Clark High School - 01 (124 students), and Clark Middle School - 03 (72 students). See the Clark School District 12-2 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.