Enrollment
267
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 467662000714
Mellette Elementary - 07 — Watertown, SD
Federal NCES profile for Mellette Elementary - 07, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 67
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: Watertown School District 14-4 · 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.9%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mellette Elementary - 07 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
Mellette Elementary - 07 reports 267 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the South Dakota average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 334 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Watertown School District 14-4 spends $12,416 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 49.1% from local sources (property taxes), 34.2% from the state, and 16.7% 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 Mellette Elementary - 07 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.9% | ▼ 10% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 267 | top 73% | — | — |
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
25.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 50% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
13.1%
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
$12,416
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Per 334 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 267 Top 73% in South Dakota — larger than 27% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.9% -10% vs state
NCES ID 467662000714
Student demographics
White 71.9%
Two or More 13.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.4%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 71.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.8
Students per counselor 334:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.1%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Watertown School District 14-4, which includes Mellette Elementary - 07.
$12,416
Per student
-23%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 49.1%
State 34.2%
Federal 16.7%
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
- 1,222
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 361
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Watertown
3 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 Mellette Elementary - 07
How many students attend Mellette Elementary - 07?
Mellette Elementary - 07 has 267 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Watertown, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mellette Elementary - 07?
The student-teacher ratio at Mellette Elementary - 07 is 13.3:1, which is 1% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 16% 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 Mellette Elementary - 07?
25.9% of students at Mellette Elementary - 07 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mellette Elementary - 07?
The largest demographic group at Mellette Elementary - 07 is White at 71.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Watertown, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mellette Elementary - 07?
Mellette Elementary - 07 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.