Enrollment
84
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 460102601034
Mccook Central Middle School - 03 — Salem, SD
Federal NCES profile for Mccook Central Middle School - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 83
📋 Attendance 35
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: Mccook Central School District 43-7 · 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)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.5%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mccook Central 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
Mccook Central Middle School - 03 reports 84 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 7.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 57% below the South Dakota average and 76% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 84 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mccook Central School District 43-7 spends $14,428 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.5% from local sources (property taxes), 30.5% from the state, and 15.1% 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 Mccook Central 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 | 13.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.5% | ▼ 57% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 84 | top 44% | — | — |
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
12.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 57% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 54% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.2%
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
$14,428
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 84 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 84 Top 44% in South Dakota — larger than 56% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 7.0
Students per teacher 13.7:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.5% -57% vs state
NCES ID 460102601034
Student demographics
White 90.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
Two or More 4.8%
Largest group: White at 90.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 84:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.2%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mccook Central School District 43-7, which includes Mccook Central Middle School - 03.
$14,428
Per student
-11%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 225
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 28
- Students per teacher
- 26:1
Similar elementary schools in Salem
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Mccook Central Middle School - 03
How many students attend Mccook Central Middle School - 03?
Mccook Central Middle School - 03 has 84 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Salem, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mccook Central Middle School - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Mccook Central Middle School - 03 is 13.7:1, which is 1% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mccook Central Middle School - 03?
12.5% of students at Mccook Central 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 Mccook Central Middle School - 03?
The largest demographic group at Mccook Central Middle School - 03 is White at 90.5%. The school serves a student body in Salem, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mccook Central Middle School - 03?
Mccook Central 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.