Enrollment
75
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Howard, SD
Howard Jr. High - 05
Federal NCES profile for Howard Jr. High - 05, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 460002500913
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Howard Jr. High - 05 earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of South Dakota schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Howard · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 3.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Howard Jr. High - 05 has class sizes larger than 92% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Howard Jr. High - 05 ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Howard, SD.
School address
District: Howard School District 48-3 · South Dakota
NCES ID 460002500913 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
3.8%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-87% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Howard Jr. High - 05 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Howard Jr. High - 05
Howard Jr. High - 05 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Howard, South Dakota, enrolling 75 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.8:1 is larger than about 92% of South Dakota schools and 38% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 3.8% free-meal eligibility runs 87% below the South Dakota average.
With 75 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Dakota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Among 100 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #76, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Howard School District 48-3 also operates Howard Elementary - 02 (158 students) and Howard High School - 01 (96 students) alongside Howard Jr. High - 05.
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 Howard Jr. High - 05 compares
Howard Jr. High - 05 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 38% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 3.8% | ▼ 87% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 75 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
75
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
3.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 87% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 38% above state mean
Top 92% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,336
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints 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 92.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: White at 92.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.9, Howard Jr. High - 05 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard School District 48-3, which includes Howard Jr. High - 05.
$13,336
Per student
-1%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.7%
State 12.6%
Federal 13.7%
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 Howard Jr. High - 05 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Elementary - 02 | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Howard High School - 01 | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Shannon Colony Elementary - 08 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Howard Jr. High - 05's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 158
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 27
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~75 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Howard Jr. High - 05's federal record.
- Compare Howard Jr. High - 05 against another school. Compare schools
- Howard School District 48-3'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 Howard Jr. High - 05
How many students attend Howard Jr. High - 05?
Howard Jr. High - 05 has 75 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Howard, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Howard Jr. High - 05?
The student-teacher ratio at Howard Jr. High - 05 is 18.8:1, which is 38% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Howard Jr. High - 05?
3.8% of students at Howard Jr. High - 05 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howard Jr. High - 05?
The largest demographic group at Howard Jr. High - 05 is White at 92.0% of enrollment, in Howard, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard Jr. High - 05?
Howard Jr. High - 05 has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Howard Jr. High - 05 rank among public schools in Howard?
By Resource Investment Index, Howard Jr. High - 05 ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Howard, 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 Howard on the city page.
Is Howard Jr. High - 05 a good school?
Howard Jr. High - 05 earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of 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 Howard School District 48-3?
Besides Howard Jr. High - 05, Howard School District 48-3 also operates Howard Elementary - 02 (158 students), Howard High School - 01 (96 students), and Shannon Colony Elementary - 08 (27 students). See the Howard School District 48-3 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.