Enrollment
411
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Canton, SD
Lawrence Elementary - 02
Federal NCES profile for Lawrence Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 461056000108
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lawrence Elementary - 02 earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Canton · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 11.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Lawrence Elementary - 02 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lawrence Elementary - 02 ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Canton, SD.
School address
District: Canton School District 41-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 461056000108 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawrence Elementary - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lawrence Elementary - 02
Lawrence Elementary - 02 is a lower-poverty, large elementary school in Canton, South Dakota, enrolling 411 students.
At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Dakota median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 11.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 411 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 81 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #44.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 411 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Canton School District 41-1 also operates Canton High School - 01 (283 students) and Canton Middle School - 04 (194 students) alongside Lawrence Elementary - 02.
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 Lawrence Elementary - 02 compares
Lawrence 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 | 13.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.6% | ▼ 60% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 411 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
411
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 54% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,924
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 411 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 93.2%
Two or More 2.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.0, Lawrence Elementary - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Canton School District 41-1, which includes Lawrence Elementary - 02.
$11,924
Per student
-12%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.6%
State 30.7%
Federal 9.7%
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 Lawrence Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton High School - 01 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Canton Middle School - 04 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lawrence Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 283
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 194
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar elementary 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 (~411 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lawrence Elementary - 02's federal record.
- Compare Lawrence Elementary - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Canton School District 41-1'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 Lawrence Elementary - 02
How many students attend Lawrence Elementary - 02?
Lawrence Elementary - 02 has 411 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Canton, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawrence Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawrence Elementary - 02 is 13.7:1, which is 1% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lawrence Elementary - 02?
11.6% of students at Lawrence Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lawrence Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Lawrence Elementary - 02 is White at 93.2% of enrollment, in Canton, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawrence Elementary - 02?
Lawrence Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Lawrence Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Canton?
By Resource Investment Index, Lawrence Elementary - 02 ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Canton, 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 Canton on the city page.
Is Lawrence Elementary - 02 a good school?
Lawrence Elementary - 02 earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. 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 Canton School District 41-1?
Besides Lawrence Elementary - 02, Canton School District 41-1 also operates Canton High School - 01 (283 students) and Canton Middle School - 04 (194 students). See the Canton School District 41-1 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.