Enrollment
618
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 465982000533
South Middle School - 36 — Rapid City, SD
Federal NCES profile for South Middle School - 36, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 20
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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.5%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Middle School - 36 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
South Middle School - 36 reports 618 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% above the South Dakota average and 22% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 618 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.9% 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 24/100 (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 South Middle School - 36 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 | 13.2:1 | ▼ 2% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.5% | ▲ 41% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 618 | top 94% | — | — |
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
40.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% above the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.2:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 49% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.9%
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
$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 618 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
83
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 618 Top 94% in South Dakota — larger than 6% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 13.2:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.5% +41% vs state
NCES ID 465982000533
Student demographics
White 45.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 22.8%
Two or More 17.2%
Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
African American 1.9%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 45.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 618:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.9%
In-school suspensions 83
Out-of-school suspensions 26
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rapid City Area School District 51-4, which includes South Middle School - 36.
$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
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 605
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar middle schools in Rapid City
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Southwest Middle School - 38
Standard public school
614 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
East Middle School - 30
Standard public school
613 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
West Middle School - 37
Standard public school
591 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
North Middle School - 35
Standard public school
418 students 14.7:1 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 South Middle School - 36
How many students attend South Middle School - 36?
South Middle School - 36 has 618 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Rapid City, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Middle School - 36?
The student-teacher ratio at South Middle School - 36 is 13.2:1, which is 2% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 17% 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 South Middle School - 36?
40.5% of students at South Middle School - 36 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Middle School - 36?
The largest demographic group at South Middle School - 36 is White at 45.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Rapid City, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Middle School - 36?
South Middle School - 36 has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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.