Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake Preston, SD

Lake Preston Elementary - 02

Federal NCES profile for Lake Preston Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 463999000367
0/100100/10061/100
👥 S:T ratio
52
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
81
📋 Attendance
82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Lake Preston Elementary - 02 earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.

#1 of 3
public schools in Lake Preston · Resource Index
61
Resource Index · Higher
12:1
students per teacher
28.4%
free-lunch eligible

Lake Preston Elementary - 02 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Lake Preston Elementary - 02 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Lake Preston, SD.

NCES CCD universe card

School universe 463999000367 · Lake Preston, SD Other · SMALL · TRAD

96 enr · 12:1 · 28.4% lunch · RII 61

Nearest enrollment peer: Lake Preston High School - 01 (41 students)

Resource Investment Index #1 of 3 public schools in Lake Preston. NCES Common Core of Data stamps for this campus. Read with this school → · District book → · South Dakota schools → · Find another →

Lake Preston Elementary - 02 in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Lake Preston Elementary - 02 reports 96 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Lake Preston Elementary - 02 compares

Lake Preston Elementary - 02 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 12:1 ▼ 12% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 28.4% ▼ 1% 28.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 96 top 51% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
96
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
28.4%
free-lunch eligible - 1% 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
12:1
students per teacher - 12% below state mean
Top 37% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,235
per pupil, district-wide - above South Dakota avg of $13,985
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 96 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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.

Student demographics

White 92.7%
Two or More 5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%

Largest group: White at 92.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 13.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 13.8, Lake Preston Elementary - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Preston School District 38-3, which includes Lake Preston Elementary - 02.

$17,235
Per student
+23%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,985
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 70.5%
State 20.8%
Federal 8.7%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Lake Preston Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Lake Preston High School - 01 Smaller Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Lake Preston Middle School - 03 Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Lake Preston Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Lake Preston School District 38-3 · 2 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide other schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Frequently asked questions about Lake Preston Elementary - 02

How many students attend Lake Preston Elementary - 02?

Lake Preston Elementary - 02 has 96 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake Preston, SD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Preston Elementary - 02?

The student-teacher ratio at Lake Preston Elementary - 02 is 12:1, which is 12% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lake Preston Elementary - 02?

28.4% of students at Lake Preston Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Preston Elementary - 02?

The largest demographic group at Lake Preston Elementary - 02 is White at 92.7% of enrollment, in Lake Preston, SD.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Preston Elementary - 02?

Lake Preston Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Lake Preston Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Lake Preston?

By Resource Investment Index, Lake Preston Elementary - 02 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Lake Preston, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking.

What other schools are in Lake Preston School District 38-3?

Besides Lake Preston Elementary - 02, Lake Preston School District 38-3 also operates Lake Preston High School - 01 (41 students) and Lake Preston Middle School - 03 (33 students). See the Lake Preston School District 38-3 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.