Enrollment
272
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Parkston, SD
Parkston Elementary - 02
Federal NCES profile for Parkston Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 465430000491
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Parkston Elementary - 02 earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Parkston · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 14.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Parkston Elementary - 02 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Parkston Elementary - 02 ranks #3 of 3 schools in Parkston, SD.
School address
District: Parkston School District 33-3 · South Dakota
NCES ID 465430000491 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Parkston Elementary - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Parkston Elementary - 02
Parkston Elementary - 02 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Parkston, South Dakota, enrolling 272 students.
At 13.6:1, 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 14.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 272 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Among 89 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #69, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 544 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 17.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Parkston's public schools, it stands alongside Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 (31 students): Parkston Elementary - 02 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.6:1 vs 15.5:1).
Parkston School District 33-3 also operates Parkston High School - 01 (112 students) and Parkston Middle School - 05 (98 students) alongside Parkston Elementary - 02.
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 Parkston Elementary - 02 compares
Parkston Elementary - 02 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 0% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.6% | ▼ 49% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 272 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
272
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 53% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
8.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,231
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 89.0%
Two or More 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 89.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.4, Parkston Elementary - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Parkston School District 33-3, which includes Parkston Elementary - 02.
$11,231
Per student
-17%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Parkston Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkston High School - 01 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parkston Middle School - 05 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Our Home | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| New Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 08 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Parkston Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 112
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 98
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 27
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar other schools in Parkston
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~272 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Parkston Elementary - 02's federal record.
- Compare Parkston Elementary - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Parkston School District 33-3'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 Parkston Elementary - 02
How many students attend Parkston Elementary - 02?
Parkston Elementary - 02 has 272 students enrolled. It is a public school in Parkston, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Parkston Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Parkston Elementary - 02 is 13.6:1, which is 0% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Parkston Elementary - 02?
14.6% of students at Parkston Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Parkston Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Parkston Elementary - 02 is White at 89.0% of enrollment, in Parkston, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Parkston Elementary - 02?
Parkston Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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 Parkston Elementary - 02 rank among schools in Parkston?
By Resource Investment Index, Parkston Elementary - 02 ranks #3 of 3 schools in Parkston, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Parkston on the city page.
Is Parkston Elementary - 02 a good school?
Parkston Elementary - 02 earns 39/100 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 Parkston School District 33-3?
Besides Parkston Elementary - 02, Parkston School District 33-3 also operates Parkston High School - 01 (112 students), Parkston Middle School - 05 (98 students), and Old Elm Spring Colony Elementary - 03 (31 students). See the Parkston School District 33-3 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.