Enrollment
408
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Milbank, SD
Milbank Elementary - 03
Federal NCES profile for Milbank Elementary - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 460000200423
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Milbank Elementary - 03 earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Milbank · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 27.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Milbank Elementary - 03 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Milbank Elementary - 03 ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Milbank, SD.
School address
District: Milbank School District 25-4 · South Dakota
NCES ID 460000200423 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.5%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Milbank Elementary - 03 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Milbank Elementary - 03
Milbank Elementary - 03 is a large combined-grade school in Milbank, South Dakota, enrolling 408 students.
At 12.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Dakota median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 27.5% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 408 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 67 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #29.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 408 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Milbank School District 25-4 also operates Milbank High School - 01 (333 students) and Milbank Middle School - 02 (222 students) alongside Milbank Elementary - 03.
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 Milbank Elementary - 03 compares
Milbank Elementary - 03 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.5% | ▼ 5% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 408 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
408
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 44% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,179
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 408 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 76.2%
Hispanic or Latino 19.6%
Two or More 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 76.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.0, Milbank Elementary - 03 is more mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Milbank School District 25-4, which includes Milbank Elementary - 03.
$12,179
Per student
-10%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.9%
State 21.1%
Federal 18.1%
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 Milbank Elementary - 03 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milbank High School - 01 | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Milbank Middle School - 02 | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blue Sky Colony - 04 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Milbank Elementary - 03's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 222
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~408 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Milbank Elementary - 03's federal record.
- Compare Milbank Elementary - 03 against another school. Compare schools
- Milbank School District 25-4'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 Milbank Elementary - 03
How many students attend Milbank Elementary - 03?
Milbank Elementary - 03 has 408 students enrolled. It is a public school in Milbank, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Milbank Elementary - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Milbank Elementary - 03 is 12.8:1, which is 6% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Milbank Elementary - 03?
27.5% of students at Milbank Elementary - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Milbank Elementary - 03?
The largest demographic group at Milbank Elementary - 03 is White at 76.2% of enrollment, in Milbank, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Milbank Elementary - 03?
Milbank Elementary - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Milbank Elementary - 03 rank among public schools in Milbank?
By Resource Investment Index, Milbank Elementary - 03 ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Milbank, 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 Milbank on the city page.
Is Milbank Elementary - 03 a good school?
Milbank Elementary - 03 earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. 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 Milbank School District 25-4?
Besides Milbank Elementary - 03, Milbank School District 25-4 also operates Milbank High School - 01 (333 students), Milbank Middle School - 02 (222 students), and Blue Sky Colony - 04 (10 students). See the Milbank School District 25-4 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.