Enrollment
91
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mellette, SD
Northwestern High School - 01
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern High School - 01, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 465175000475
👥 S:T ratio 48
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwestern High School - 01 earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Mellette · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 12.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Northwestern High School - 01 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern High School - 01 ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Mellette, SD.
School address
District: Northwestern Area School District 56-7 · South Dakota
NCES ID 465175000475 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.5%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwestern High School - 01 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwestern High School - 01
Northwestern High School - 01 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Mellette, South Dakota, enrolling 91 students.
At 13:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 12.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 91 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Dakota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Among 143 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #131, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment) (diversity index 9/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 364 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Mellette's high schools, it stands alongside Isucceed - 92 (82 students): Northwestern High School - 01 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 82:1).
Northwestern Area School District 56-7 also operates Northwestern Elementary - 04 (135 students) and Isucceed - 92 (82 students) alongside Northwestern High School - 01.
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 High School - 01 compares
Northwestern High School - 01 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.5% | ▼ 57% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 91 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
91
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
13:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 47% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors0.3 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 95.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
African American 1.1%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: White at 95.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.5, Northwestern High School - 01 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwestern Area School District 56-7, which includes Northwestern High School - 01.
$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 High School - 01 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Elementary - 04 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Isucceed - 92 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northwestern Middle School - 02 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hutterville Colony Elementary - 06 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwestern High School - 01's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 135
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- 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 high schools in Mellette
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~91 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwestern High School - 01's federal record.
- Compare Northwestern High School - 01 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 High School - 01
How many students attend Northwestern High School - 01?
Northwestern High School - 01 has 91 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mellette, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern High School - 01?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern High School - 01 is 13:1, which is 4% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 17% 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 Northwestern High School - 01?
12.5% of students at Northwestern High School - 01 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwestern High School - 01?
The largest demographic group at Northwestern High School - 01 is White at 95.6% of enrollment, in Mellette, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern High School - 01?
Northwestern High School - 01 has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Northwestern High School - 01 rank among public schools in Mellette?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern High School - 01 ranks #3 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 High School - 01 a good school?
Northwestern High School - 01 earns 31/100 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 Northwestern Area School District 56-7?
Besides Northwestern High School - 01, Northwestern Area School District 56-7 also operates Northwestern Elementary - 04 (135 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.