Enrollment
13
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Opal, SD
Opal Elementary - 15
Federal NCES profile for Opal Elementary - 15, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 466993000741
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 87
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Opal Elementary - 15 earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Dakota schools.
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 21.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 13
- students enrolled
Opal Elementary - 15 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Meade School District 46-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 466993000741 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.4%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Opal Elementary - 15 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Opal Elementary - 15
Opal Elementary - 15 is a small elementary school in Opal, South Dakota, enrolling 13 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 21.4% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of South Dakota schools, with 13 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 65 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
15.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Meade School District 46-1 spends $9,446 per pupil, 30% below the South Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Meade School District 46-1 also operates Sturgis Brown High School - 01 (845 students) and Sturgis Elementary - 03 (531 students) alongside Opal Elementary - 15.
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 Opal Elementary - 15 compares
Opal Elementary - 15 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 | 21.4% | ▼ 26% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 13 | top 92% | - | - |
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.
13
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% 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
15.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,446
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
Counselors0.2 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 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Opal Elementary - 15 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Meade School District 46-1, which includes Opal Elementary - 15.
$9,446
Per student
-30%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.4%
State 33.5%
Federal 15.1%
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 Opal Elementary - 15 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sturgis Brown High School - 01 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sturgis Elementary - 03 | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Piedmont Valley Elementary - 05 | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stagebarn Middle School - 10 | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Opal Elementary - 15's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar elementary 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 (~13 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Opal Elementary - 15's federal record.
- Compare Opal Elementary - 15 against another school. Compare schools
- Meade School District 46-1'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 Opal Elementary - 15
How many students attend Opal Elementary - 15?
Opal Elementary - 15 has 13 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Opal, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Opal Elementary - 15?
The student-teacher ratio at Opal Elementary - 15 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 Opal Elementary - 15?
21.4% of students at Opal Elementary - 15 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Opal Elementary - 15?
The largest demographic group at Opal Elementary - 15 is White at 100.0% of enrollment, in Opal, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Opal Elementary - 15?
Opal Elementary - 15 has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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).
Is Opal Elementary - 15 a good school?
Opal Elementary - 15 earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Meade School District 46-1?
Besides Opal Elementary - 15, Meade School District 46-1 also operates Sturgis Brown High School - 01 (845 students), Sturgis Elementary - 03 (531 students), and Piedmont Valley Elementary - 05 (514 students). See the Meade School District 46-1 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.