Enrollment
273
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 380003800742
Heart River Elementary School — Dickinson, ND
Federal NCES profile for Heart River Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 37
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: Dickinson 1 · North 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 11.7:1 North Dakota avg
+35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.1%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heart River Elementary School compares with North 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
Heart River Elementary School reports 273 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 35% above the North Dakota state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% above the North Dakota average and 38% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 273 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dickinson 1 spends $16,043 per pupil district-wide, below the North Dakota average of $22,219 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.7% from local sources (property taxes), 49.9% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 Heart River Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North 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 North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.8:1 | ▲ 35% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.1% | ▲ 14% | 28.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 273 | top 72% | — | — |
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
32.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% above 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 35% above state mean
Top 89% in North Dakota — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,043
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Dakota avg of $22,219
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 273 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 273 Top 72% in North Dakota — larger than 28% of 499 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 +35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.1% +14% vs state
NCES ID 380003800742
Student demographics
White 69.6%
Hispanic or Latino 21.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.7%
African American 3.3%
Two or More 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 273:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.3%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dickinson 1, which includes Heart River Elementary School.
$16,043
Per student
-28%
vs North Dakota
Avg $22,219
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 49.9%
Federal 14.4%
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
- 1,022
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 944
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Dickinson
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Prairie Rose Elementary School
Standard public school
490 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Elementary School
Standard public school
387 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Elementary School
Standard public school
370 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt Elementary School
Standard public school
254 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
P S Berg Elementary School
Standard public school
223 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Roughrider Elementary Virtual Academy
Standard public school
38 students 36:1 students per teacher
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 Heart River Elementary School
How many students attend Heart River Elementary School?
Heart River Elementary School has 273 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Dickinson, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heart River Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Heart River Elementary School is 15.8:1, which is 35% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.7:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heart River Elementary School?
32.1% of students at Heart River Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heart River Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Heart River Elementary School is White at 69.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dickinson, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heart River Elementary School?
Heart River Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) 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.