Enrollment
22
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 464164000919
Leola Jr. High - 03 — Leola, SD
Federal NCES profile for Leola Jr. High - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 67
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 87
📋 Attendance 0
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: Leola School District 44-2 · 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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.3:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
-39% 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
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
Leola Jr. High - 03 reports 22 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.3:1 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 15.9:1, 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: 28.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the South Dakota average and 46% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 67 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 59.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Leola School District 44-2 spends $19,162 per pupil district-wide, above the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 55.0% from local sources (property taxes), 21.5% from the state, and 23.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Leola Jr. High - 03 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 | 8.3:1 | ▼ 39% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.0% | ▼ 3% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 22 | top 14% | — | — |
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
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
8.3:1
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
59.1%
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
$19,162
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Dakota avg of $16,140
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 67 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.
Overview
Enrollment 22 Top 14% in South Dakota — larger than 86% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 8.3:1 -39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.0% -3% vs state
NCES ID 464164000919
Student demographics
White 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 67:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 59.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leola School District 44-2, which includes Leola Jr. High - 03.
$19,162
Per student
+19%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 7.4:1
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 7.8:1
- Enrollment
- 35
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 30
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
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 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 8.3:1, which is 39% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 48% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a student body in Leola, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Leola Jr. High - 03?
Leola Jr. High - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 4 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.