Enrollment
46
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 464545001050
Marion Middle School - 03 — Marion, SD
Federal NCES profile for Marion Middle School - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 4
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 91
📋 Attendance 68
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
Marion Middle School - 03 earns a D Resource Investment Index (48/100), with class sizes larger than 98% of South Dakota schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 48/100
- 24:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 10.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 46
- students enrolled
School address
District: Marion School District 60-3 · 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+78% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.4%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Marion Middle School - 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
Marion Middle School - 03 reports 46 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 78% above the South Dakota state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 53% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 10.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 64% below the South Dakota average and 80% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 46 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Marion School District 60-3 spends $16,127 per pupil district-wide, above the South Dakota average of $13,477 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 70.3% from local sources (property taxes), 19.5% from the state, and 10.1% 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 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 Marion Middle School - 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 | 24:1 | ▲ 78% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.4% | ▼ 64% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 46 | top 27% | — | — |
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)
24 smaller classes than 6% 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')
46 larger 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
10.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 64% 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
24:1
students per teacher
— 78% above state mean
Top 98% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
13.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,127
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 46 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 46 Top 27% in South Dakota — larger than 73% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 24:1 +78% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 10.4% -64% vs state
NCES ID 464545001050
Student demographics
White 82.6%
Hispanic or Latino 10.9%
Two or More 6.5%
Largest group: White at 82.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 46:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.0%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Marion School District 60-3, which includes Marion Middle School - 03.
$16,127
Per student
+20%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.3%
State 19.5%
Federal 10.1%
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
- 100
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 62
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Marion Middle School - 03 side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Marion Middle School - 03
How many students attend Marion Middle School - 03?
Marion Middle School - 03 has 46 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Marion, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Marion Middle School - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Marion Middle School - 03 is 24:1, which is 78% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Marion Middle School - 03?
10.4% of students at Marion Middle School - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marion Middle School - 03?
The largest demographic group at Marion Middle School - 03 is White at 82.6%. The school serves a student body in Marion, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marion Middle School - 03?
Marion Middle School - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.
Is Marion Middle School - 03 a good school?
Marion Middle School - 03 earns a D Resource Investment Index (48/100), with class sizes larger than 98% 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.