2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 463999000368
Lake Preston High School - 01 — Lake Preston, SD
Federal NCES profile for Lake Preston High School - 01, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
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 →
The verdict
Lake Preston High School - 01 earns a D Resource Investment Index (48/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of South Dakota schools.
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.
Enrollment
41
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.2:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
▲-39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.3%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
▲-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Preston High School - 01 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
Smaller classes than state median
13.5:1 South Dakota median15.7:1 U.S. median
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
Lake Preston High School - 01 reports 41 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 39% below the South Dakota state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 48% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 14.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% below the South Dakota average and 72% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 41 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lake Preston School District 38-3 spends $15,249 per pupil district-wide, above the South Dakota average of $13,477 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 70.5% from local sources (property taxes), 20.8% from the state, and 8.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
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
8.2:1
▼ 39%
13.5:1
15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible
14.3%
▼ 50%
28.8%
51.8%
Enrollment
41
top 24%
—
—
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
8Among the smallest classessmaller classes than 95% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
41larger than 5% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
14.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% 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
8.2:1
students per teacher
— 39% below state mean
Top 11% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
48.8%
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
$15,249
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Dakota avg of $13,477
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 41 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment41 Top 24% in South Dakota — larger than 76% of 698 state schools
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.
Frequently asked questions about Lake Preston High School - 01
How many students attend Lake Preston High School - 01?
Lake Preston High School - 01 has 41 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lake Preston, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Preston High School - 01?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Preston High School - 01 is 8.2:1, which is 39% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 48% 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 High School - 01?
14.3% of students at Lake Preston High School - 01 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Preston High School - 01?
The largest demographic group at Lake Preston High School - 01 is White at 92.7%. The school serves a student body in Lake Preston, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Preston High School - 01?
Lake Preston High School - 01 has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 5 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.
Is Lake Preston High School - 01 a good school?
Lake Preston High School - 01 earns a D Resource Investment Index (48/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of South Dakota schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.