Enrollment
22
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Leola, SD
Leola Jr. High - 03
Federal NCES profile for Leola Jr. High - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 464164000919
👥 S:T ratio 71
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 87
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Leola Jr. High - 03 earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of South Dakota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Dakota schools.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Leola · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.3:1
- small classes for South Dakota
- 28.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Leola Jr. High - 03 has class sizes smaller than 92% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Leola Jr. High - 03 ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Leola, SD.
School address
District: Leola School District 44-2 · South Dakota
NCES ID 464164000919 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.3:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.0%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Leola Jr. High - 03 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Leola Jr. High - 03
Leola Jr. High - 03 is a small middle school in Leola, South Dakota, enrolling 22 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.3:1, Leola Jr. High - 03 is leaner than roughly 92% of South Dakota schools and 46% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 28.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 22 puts it in the smaller 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 17 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #12.
Its student body is predominantly White (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 67 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Leola School District 44-2 also operates Leola Elementary - 02 (57 students) and Leola High School - 01 (38 students) alongside Leola Jr. High - 03.
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 Leola Jr. High - 03 compares
Leola Jr. High - 03 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 | 7.3:1 | ▼ 46% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.0% | ▼ 3% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 22 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.3:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
22
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
7.3:1
students per teacher
- 46% below state mean
Top 8% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,883
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Dakota avg of $13,477
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 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 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Leola Jr. High - 03 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leola School District 44-2, which includes Leola Jr. High - 03.
$15,883
Per student
+18%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.0%
State 21.5%
Federal 23.5%
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 Leola Jr. High - 03 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leola Elementary - 02 | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leola High School - 01 | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spring Creek Colony Elementary - 04 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Long Lake Colony Elementary - 05 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grassland Colony Elementary - 06 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Leola Jr. High - 03's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 7.1:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 7.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 35
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 30
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~22 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Leola Jr. High - 03's federal record.
- Compare Leola Jr. High - 03 against another school. Compare schools
- Leola School District 44-2'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 Leola Jr. High - 03
How many students attend Leola Jr. High - 03?
Leola Jr. High - 03 has 22 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Leola, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Leola Jr. High - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Leola Jr. High - 03 is 7.3:1, which is 46% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 54% 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 Leola Jr. High - 03?
28.0% of students at Leola Jr. High - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Leola Jr. High - 03?
The largest demographic group at Leola Jr. High - 03 is White at 100.0% of enrollment, in Leola, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Leola Jr. High - 03?
Leola Jr. High - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Leola Jr. High - 03 rank among public schools in Leola?
By Resource Investment Index, Leola Jr. High - 03 ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Leola, 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 Leola on the city page.
Is Leola Jr. High - 03 a good school?
Leola Jr. High - 03 earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of South Dakota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Leola School District 44-2?
Besides Leola Jr. High - 03, Leola School District 44-2 also operates Leola Elementary - 02 (57 students), Leola High School - 01 (38 students), and Spring Creek Colony Elementary - 04 (35 students). See the Leola School District 44-2 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.