Enrollment
135
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mellette, SD
Northwestern Elementary - 04
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern Elementary - 04, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 465175000820
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 89
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwestern Elementary - 04 earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of South Dakota schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Mellette · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.9:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 7.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Northwestern Elementary - 04 has class sizes larger than 83% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern Elementary - 04 ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Mellette, SD.
School address
District: Northwestern Area School District 56-7 · South Dakota
NCES ID 465175000820 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+24% 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
What stands out at Northwestern Elementary - 04
Northwestern Elementary - 04 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mellette, South Dakota, enrolling 135 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 7.6% free-meal eligibility runs 74% below the South Dakota average.
With 135 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Dakota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 126 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #61.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 270 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Northwestern Area School District 56-7 also operates Northwestern High School - 01 (91 students) and Isucceed - 92 (82 students) alongside Northwestern Elementary - 04.
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 Northwestern Elementary - 04 compares
Northwestern Elementary - 04 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 24% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.6% | ▼ 74% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 135 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
135
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
7.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 83% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,684
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 89.6%
Two or More 5.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 89.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.2, Northwestern Elementary - 04 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwestern Area School District 56-7, which includes Northwestern Elementary - 04.
$11,684
Per student
-13%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Northwestern Elementary - 04 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern High School - 01 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Isucceed - 92 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northwestern Middle School - 02 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hutterville Colony Elementary - 06 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwestern Elementary - 04's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 91
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 82
- Students per teacher
- 82:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 56
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 68/100
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 (~135 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwestern Elementary - 04's federal record.
- Compare Northwestern Elementary - 04 against another school. Compare schools
- Northwestern Area School District 56-7'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 Northwestern Elementary - 04
How many students attend Northwestern Elementary - 04?
Northwestern Elementary - 04 has 135 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mellette, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elementary - 04?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elementary - 04 is 16.9:1, which is 24% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Mellette, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern Elementary - 04?
Northwestern Elementary - 04 has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Northwestern Elementary - 04 rank among public schools in Mellette?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern Elementary - 04 ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Mellette, 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 Mellette on the city page.
Is Northwestern Elementary - 04 a good school?
Northwestern Elementary - 04 earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 Northwestern Area School District 56-7?
Besides Northwestern Elementary - 04, Northwestern Area School District 56-7 also operates Northwestern High School - 01 (91 students), Isucceed - 92 (82 students), and Northwestern Middle School - 02 (56 students). See the Northwestern Area School District 56-7 district page for the complete list.
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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.