Enrollment
60
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Buffalo, SD
Harding County Middle School - 03
Federal NCES profile for Harding County Middle School - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 460930000887
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 88
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harding County Middle School - 03 earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of South Dakota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Dakota schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 15.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Harding County Middle School - 03 has class sizes larger than 95% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harding County Middle School - 03 ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Buffalo, SD.
School address
District: Harding County School District 31-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 460930000887 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.0%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harding County Middle School - 03 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harding County Middle School - 03
Harding County Middle School - 03 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Buffalo, South Dakota, enrolling 60 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20:1 is larger than about 95% of South Dakota schools and 47% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 15.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 60 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 106 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #70.
Its student body is predominantly White (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 60 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Harding County School District 31-1 spends $17,270 per pupil, 28% above the South Dakota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Harding County School District 31-1 also operates Buffalo Elementary - 02 (101 students) and Harding County High School - 01 (66 students) alongside Harding County Middle 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 Harding County Middle School - 03 compares
Harding County Middle 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 | 20:1 | ▲ 47% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.0% | ▼ 48% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 60 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
60
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
20:1
students per teacher
- 47% above state mean
Top 95% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$17,270
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Dakota avg of $13,477
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 60 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 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, Harding County Middle School - 03 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harding County School District 31-1, which includes Harding County Middle School - 03.
$17,270
Per student
+28%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.6%
State 18.4%
Federal 15.0%
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 Harding County Middle School - 03 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Elementary - 02 | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harding County High School - 01 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ludlow Elementary - 06 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Camp Crook Elementary - 08 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harding County Middle School - 03's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 66
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 8
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 8
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
Similar middle 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 (~60 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harding County Middle School - 03's federal record.
- Compare Harding County Middle School - 03 against another school. Compare schools
- Harding County School District 31-1'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 Harding County Middle School - 03
How many students attend Harding County Middle School - 03?
Harding County Middle School - 03 has 60 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Buffalo, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harding County Middle School - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Harding County Middle School - 03 is 20:1, which is 47% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harding County Middle School - 03?
15.0% of students at Harding County 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 Harding County Middle School - 03?
The largest demographic group at Harding County Middle School - 03 is White at 100.0% of enrollment, in Buffalo, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harding County Middle School - 03?
Harding County Middle School - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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).
How does Harding County Middle School - 03 rank among public schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Harding County Middle School - 03 ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Buffalo, 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 Buffalo on the city page.
Is Harding County Middle School - 03 a good school?
Harding County Middle School - 03 earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of South Dakota schools. 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 Harding County School District 31-1?
Besides Harding County Middle School - 03, Harding County School District 31-1 also operates Buffalo Elementary - 02 (101 students), Harding County High School - 01 (66 students), and Ludlow Elementary - 06 (8 students). See the Harding County School District 31-1 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.