Enrollment
225
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Salem, SD
Mccook Central Elementary - 02
Federal NCES profile for Mccook Central Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 460102600404
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mccook Central Elementary - 02 earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of South Dakota schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Salem · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 14.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Mccook Central Elementary - 02 has class sizes larger than 92% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mccook Central Elementary - 02 ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Salem, SD.
School address
District: Mccook Central School District 43-7 · South Dakota
NCES ID 460102600404 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.1%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mccook Central Elementary - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mccook Central Elementary - 02
Mccook Central Elementary - 02 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Salem, South Dakota, enrolling 225 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.8:1 is larger than about 92% of South Dakota schools and 38% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 14.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 225 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 105 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #58.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 225 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mccook Central School District 43-7 also operates Mccook Central High School - 01 (118 students) and Mccook Central Middle School - 03 (84 students) alongside Mccook Central 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 Mccook Central Elementary - 02 compares
Mccook Central 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 38% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.1% | ▼ 51% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 225 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
225
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 38% above state mean
Top 92% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,993
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 225 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 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 92.0%
Two or More 4.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
Largest group: White at 92.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.0, Mccook Central Elementary - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mccook Central School District 43-7, which includes Mccook Central Elementary - 02.
$11,993
Per student
-11%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.5%
State 30.5%
Federal 15.1%
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.
How Mccook Central Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mccook Central High School - 01 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mccook Central Middle School - 03 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Goldenview Colony School - 04 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mccook Central Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 84
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 28
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other 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 (~225 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mccook Central Elementary - 02's federal record.
- Compare Mccook Central Elementary - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Mccook Central School District 43-7'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 Mccook Central Elementary - 02
How many students attend Mccook Central Elementary - 02?
Mccook Central Elementary - 02 has 225 students enrolled. It is a public school in Salem, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mccook Central Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Mccook Central Elementary - 02 is 18.8:1, which is 38% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mccook Central Elementary - 02?
14.1% of students at Mccook Central Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mccook Central Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Mccook Central Elementary - 02 is White at 92.0% of enrollment, in Salem, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mccook Central Elementary - 02?
Mccook Central Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Mccook Central Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Salem?
By Resource Investment Index, Mccook Central Elementary - 02 ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Salem, 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 Salem on the city page.
Is Mccook Central Elementary - 02 a good school?
Mccook Central Elementary - 02 earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of 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 Mccook Central School District 43-7?
Besides Mccook Central Elementary - 02, Mccook Central School District 43-7 also operates Mccook Central High School - 01 (118 students), Mccook Central Middle School - 03 (84 students), and Goldenview Colony School - 04 (28 students). See the Mccook Central School District 43-7 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.