Enrollment
75
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 460002500913
Howard Jr. High - 05 — Howard, SD
Federal NCES profile for Howard Jr. High - 05, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 21
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 80
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: Howard School District 48-3 · South 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)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+47% 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
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
Howard Jr. High - 05 reports 75 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 4.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 47% above the South Dakota state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 3.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 87% below the South Dakota average and 93% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Howard School District 48-3 spends $14,443 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 73.7% from local sources (property taxes), 12.6% from the state, and 13.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Howard Jr. High - 05 compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South 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 South Dakota | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.8:1 | ▲ 47% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 3.8% | ▼ 87% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 75 | top 41% | — | — |
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
3.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 87% 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
19.8:1
students per teacher
— 47% above state mean
Top 95% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,443
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Dakota avg of $16,140
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
Enrollment 75 Top 41% in South Dakota — larger than 59% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 4.0
Students per teacher 19.8:1 +47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 3.8% -87% vs state
NCES ID 460002500913
Student demographics
White 92.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: White at 92.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard School District 48-3, which includes Howard Jr. High - 05.
$14,443
Per student
-11%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 158
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 27
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
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 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 19.8:1, which is 47% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a student body in Howard, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard Jr. High - 05?
Howard Jr. High - 05 has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.