Enrollment
982
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 461941001384
Patriot Elementary -06 — Box Elder, SD
Federal NCES profile for Patriot Elementary -06, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 48
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: Douglas School District 51-1 · 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)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Patriot Elementary -06 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
Patriot Elementary -06 reports 982 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 67.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the South Dakota state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% below the South Dakota average and 54% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 491 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Douglas School District 51-1 spends $12,792 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.1% from local sources (property taxes), 47.1% from the state, and 31.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), 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 Patriot Elementary -06 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.6% | ▼ 18% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 982 | top 98% | — | — |
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
23.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 50% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,792
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 491 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 982 Top 98% in South Dakota — larger than 2% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 67.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.6% -18% vs state
NCES ID 461941001384
Student demographics
White 63.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 12.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.9%
African American 2.5%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 63.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 491:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Douglas School District 51-1, which includes Patriot Elementary -06.
$12,792
Per student
-21%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.1%
State 47.1%
Federal 31.8%
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
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Box Elder
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Patriot Elementary -06
How many students attend Patriot Elementary -06?
Patriot Elementary -06 has 982 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Box Elder, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Patriot Elementary -06?
The student-teacher ratio at Patriot Elementary -06 is 13.3:1, which is 1% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Patriot Elementary -06?
23.6% of students at Patriot Elementary -06 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Patriot Elementary -06?
The largest demographic group at Patriot Elementary -06 is White at 63.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Box Elder, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Patriot Elementary -06?
Patriot Elementary -06 has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.