Enrollment
31
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 465430000489
Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 — Parkston, SD
Federal NCES profile for Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 75
📋 Attendance 84
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: Parkston School District 33-3 · 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+215% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 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
Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 reports 31 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 90.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 215% above the South Dakota average and 75% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 124 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Parkston School District 33-3 spends $12,071 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.8% from local sources (property taxes), 35.1% from the state, and 17.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 19% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.6% | ▲ 215% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 31 | top 19% | — | — |
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
90.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 215% above the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 80% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
6.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,071
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 124 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 31 Top 19% in South Dakota — larger than 81% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 16:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 90.6% +215% vs state
NCES ID 465430000489
Student demographics
White 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 124:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Parkston School District 33-3, which includes Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03.
$12,071
Per student
-25%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.8%
State 35.1%
Federal 17.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 272
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 112
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Enrollment
- 98
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 27
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
Similar other schools in Parkston
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03
How many students attend Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03?
Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 has 31 students enrolled. It is a other school in Parkston, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 is 16:1, which is 19% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03?
90.6% of students at Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03?
The largest demographic group at Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 is White at 100.0%. The school serves a student body in Parkston, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03?
Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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.