Enrollment
135
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 465175000820
Northwestern Elementary - 04 — Mellette, SD
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern Elementary - 04, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 89
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
Northwestern Elementary - 04 earns a C- Resource Investment Index (51/100), with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- C-
- Resource Index · 51/100
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 7.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 135
- students enrolled
School address
District: Northwestern Area School District 56-7 · 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)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwestern Elementary - 04 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
Northwestern Elementary - 04 reports 135 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 7.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 74% below the South Dakota average and 85% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 270 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Northwestern Area School District 56-7 spends $13,438 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 70.2% from local sources (property taxes), 16.5% from the state, and 13.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Northwestern Elementary - 04 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 10% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.6% | ▼ 74% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 135 | top 59% | — | — |
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)
15 smaller classes than 50% 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')
135 larger than 13% 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
7.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 74% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 68% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
4.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,438
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 270 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 135 Top 59% in South Dakota — larger than 41% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 7.6% -74% vs state
NCES ID 465175000820
Student demographics
White 89.6%
Two or More 5.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 89.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 270:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwestern Area School District 56-7, which includes Northwestern Elementary - 04.
$13,438
Per student
-17%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 70.2%
State 16.5%
Federal 13.3%
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
- 91
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 82
- Students per teacher
- 53:1
- Enrollment
- 56
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
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.
Frequently asked questions about Northwestern Elementary - 04
How many students attend Northwestern Elementary - 04?
Northwestern Elementary - 04 has 135 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mellette, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elementary - 04?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elementary - 04 is 14.9:1, which is 10% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwestern Elementary - 04?
7.6% of students at Northwestern Elementary - 04 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwestern Elementary - 04?
The largest demographic group at Northwestern Elementary - 04 is White at 89.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mellette, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern Elementary - 04?
Northwestern Elementary - 04 has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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.