Enrollment
35
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Forestburg, SD
Sanborn Central Middle School - 02
Federal NCES profile for Sanborn Central Middle School - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 460393200102
👥 S:T ratio 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of South Dakota schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Forestburg · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.8:1
- small classes for South Dakota
- 16.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 has class sizes smaller than 86% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Forestburg, SD.
School address
District: Sanborn Central School District 55-5 · South Dakota
NCES ID 460393200102 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.7%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sanborn Central Middle School - 02
Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Forestburg, South Dakota, enrolling 35 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.8:1, Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 is leaner than roughly 86% of South Dakota schools and 35% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 16.7% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 35 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 691 South Dakota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 46 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 140 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Sanborn Central School District 55-5 also operates Sanborn Central Elementary - 06 (102 students) and Upland Colony Elementary - 05 (42 students) alongside Sanborn Central Middle School - 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 Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 compares
Sanborn Central Middle School - 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 | 8.8:1 | ▼ 35% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.7% | ▼ 42% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 35 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.8:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
35
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
8.8:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 14% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,977
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Dakota avg of $13,477
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 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 94.3%
Two or More 5.7%
Largest group: White at 94.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.8, Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sanborn Central School District 55-5, which includes Sanborn Central Middle School - 02.
$13,977
Per student
+4%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.4%
State 24.7%
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.
How Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanborn Central Elementary - 06 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Upland Colony Elementary - 05 | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sanborn Central High School - 01 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sanborn Central Middle School - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 102
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 42
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 33
- Students per teacher
- 5.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar middle 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 (~35 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sanborn Central Middle School - 02's federal record.
- Compare Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Sanborn Central School District 55-5'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 Sanborn Central Middle School - 02
How many students attend Sanborn Central Middle School - 02?
Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 has 35 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Forestburg, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sanborn Central Middle School - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 is 8.8:1, which is 35% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 44% 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 Sanborn Central Middle School - 02?
16.7% of students at Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sanborn Central Middle School - 02?
The largest demographic group at Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 is White at 94.3% of enrollment, in Forestburg, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sanborn Central Middle School - 02?
Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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).
How does Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 rank among public schools in Forestburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Forestburg, 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 Forestburg on the city page.
Is Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 a good school?
Sanborn Central Middle School - 02 earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of 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 Sanborn Central School District 55-5?
Besides Sanborn Central Middle School - 02, Sanborn Central School District 55-5 also operates Sanborn Central Elementary - 06 (102 students), Upland Colony Elementary - 05 (42 students), and Sanborn Central High School - 01 (33 students). See the Sanborn Central School District 55-5 district page for the complete list.
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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.