Enrollment
426
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 466627000602
Lowell Elementary - 28 — Sioux Falls, SD
Federal NCES profile for Lowell Elementary - 28, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 36
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: Sioux Falls School District 49-5 · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.5%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+100% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lowell Elementary - 28 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
Lowell Elementary - 28 reports 426 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 100% above the South Dakota average and 11% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 213 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sioux Falls School District 49-5 spends $12,493 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.1% from local sources (property taxes), 33.1% from the state, and 18.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 Lowell Elementary - 28 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.5% | ▲ 100% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 426 | top 86% | — | — |
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
57.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 100% above the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 39% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.6%
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
$12,493
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Dakota avg of $16,140
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 213 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 426 Top 86% in South Dakota — larger than 14% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.5% +100% vs state
NCES ID 466627000602
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 33.6%
White 26.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 13.4%
African American 12.9%
Two or More 10.1%
Asian 2.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 33.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 213:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.6%
In-school suspensions 55
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sioux Falls School District 49-5, which includes Lowell Elementary - 28.
$12,493
Per student
-23%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.1%
State 33.1%
Federal 18.9%
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
- 1,954
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,888
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,819
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,785
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,133
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Sioux Falls
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
John F. Kennedy Elementary - 57
Standard public school
661 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Rosa Parks Elementary - 15
Standard public school
618 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Oscar Howe Elementary - 58
Standard public school
608 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Fred Assam Elementary - 06
Standard public school
531 students 18:1 students per teacher
Laura Wilder Elementary - 31
Standard public school
447 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Eugene Field a+ Elementary - 16
Standard public school
444 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
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 Lowell Elementary - 28
How many students attend Lowell Elementary - 28?
Lowell Elementary - 28 has 426 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Sioux Falls, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lowell Elementary - 28?
The student-teacher ratio at Lowell Elementary - 28 is 12.3:1, which is 9% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 23% 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 Lowell Elementary - 28?
57.5% of students at Lowell Elementary - 28 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lowell Elementary - 28?
The largest demographic group at Lowell Elementary - 28 is Hispanic or Latino at 33.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sioux Falls, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lowell Elementary - 28?
Lowell Elementary - 28 has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) 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.