Enrollment
41
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Madison, SD
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04
Federal NCES profile for Rustic Acres Elementary - 04, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 461230001092
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of South Dakota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Dakota schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Madison · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.5:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 41
- students enrolled
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 has class sizes larger than 95% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Madison, SD.
School address
District: Chester Area School District 39-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 461230001092 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rustic Acres Elementary - 04
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 is a mid-sized elementary school in Madison, South Dakota, enrolling 41 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.5:1 is larger than about 95% of South Dakota schools and 51% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 41 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 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).
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Chester Area School District 39-1 spends $9,721 per pupil, 28% below the South Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Madison's elementary schools, it stands alongside Madison Elementary - 07 (515 students): Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20.5:1 vs 14.7:1).
Chester Area School District 39-1 also operates Chester Elementary -02 (154 students) and Chester High School - 01 (107 students) alongside Rustic Acres Elementary - 04.
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 Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 compares
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 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 | 20.5:1 | ▲ 51% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 41 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.5:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
41
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
20.5:1
students per teacher
- 51% above state mean
Top 95% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
4.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$9,721
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
Counselors0.0 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, Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chester Area School District 39-1, which includes Rustic Acres Elementary - 04.
$9,721
Per student
-28%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.3%
State 32.0%
Federal 12.7%
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 Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Elementary -02 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chester High School - 01 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chester Area Cyber School - 92 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| High Plains - 06 | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Chester Middle School - 03 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rustic Acres Elementary - 04's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 154
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 107
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 106
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 84
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 67
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary schools in Madison
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~41 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rustic Acres Elementary - 04's federal record.
- Compare Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 against another school. Compare schools
- Chester Area School District 39-1'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 Rustic Acres Elementary - 04
How many students attend Rustic Acres Elementary - 04?
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 has 41 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Madison, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rustic Acres Elementary - 04?
The student-teacher ratio at Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 is 20.5:1, which is 51% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rustic Acres Elementary - 04?
The largest demographic group at Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 is White at 100.0% of enrollment, in Madison, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rustic Acres Elementary - 04?
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 rank among public schools in Madison?
By Resource Investment Index, Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Madison, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Madison on the city page.
Is Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 a good school?
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of South Dakota schools. 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 Chester Area School District 39-1?
Besides Rustic Acres Elementary - 04, Chester Area School District 39-1 also operates Chester Elementary -02 (154 students), Chester High School - 01 (107 students), and Chester Area Cyber School - 92 (106 students). See the Chester Area School District 39-1 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.