Enrollment
486
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 465982000823
Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 — Rapid City, SD
Federal NCES profile for Rapid Valley Elementary - 12, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 56
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: Rapid City Area School District 51-4 · 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.8%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 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
Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 reports 486 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the South Dakota average and 42% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 486 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rapid City Area School District 51-4 spends $11,988 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.3% from local sources (property taxes), 26.7% from the state, and 18.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 23% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.8% | ▲ 3% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 90% | — | — |
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
29.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% above 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
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 83% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,988
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 486 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 486 Top 90% in South Dakota — larger than 10% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.8% +3% vs state
NCES ID 465982000823
Student demographics
White 64.8%
Two or More 12.6%
Hispanic or Latino 11.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 10.1%
Asian 0.8%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 64.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 486:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.7%
In-school suspensions 37
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rapid City Area School District 51-4, which includes Rapid Valley Elementary - 12.
$11,988
Per student
-26%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.3%
State 26.7%
Federal 18.9%
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
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,771
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar other schools in Rapid City
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
General Beadle Elementary - 01
Standard public school
483 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Canyon Lake Elementary - 04
Standard public school
346 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Robbinsdale Elementary - 14
Standard public school
328 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Building - 64
Special-education school
98 students 1.7:1 students per teacher
Wellfully - 65
Alternative education program
7 students 9:1 students per teacher
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 Rapid Valley Elementary - 12
How many students attend Rapid Valley Elementary - 12?
Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 has 486 students enrolled. It is a other school in Rapid City, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rapid Valley Elementary - 12?
The student-teacher ratio at Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 is 16.6:1, which is 23% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rapid Valley Elementary - 12?
29.8% of students at Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rapid Valley Elementary - 12?
The largest demographic group at Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 is White at 64.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Rapid City, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rapid Valley Elementary - 12?
Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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.