Enrollment
411
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 381717000594
South Prairie Elementary School — Minot, ND
Federal NCES profile for South Prairie Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 95
📋 Attendance 70
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: South Prairie 70 · North 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 11.7:1 North Dakota avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.7%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Prairie Elementary School compares with North 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 Prairie Elementary School reports 411 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% above the North Dakota state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% below the North Dakota average and 70% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 23 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Prairie 70 spends $15,098 per pupil district-wide, below the North Dakota average of $22,219 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.3% from local sources (property taxes), 54.0% from the state, and 11.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C), 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 Prairie Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North 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 North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▲ 31% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.7% | ▼ 44% | 28.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 411 | top 84% | — | — |
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
15.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% below the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
— 31% above state mean
Top 87% in North Dakota — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.2%
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
$15,098
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Dakota avg of $22,219
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors18.0 FTE
Per 23 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 411 Top 84% in North Dakota — larger than 16% of 499 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 15.3:1 +31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.7% -44% vs state
NCES ID 381717000594
Student demographics
White 81.3%
African American 6.1%
Two or More 6.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 18.0
Students per counselor 23:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Prairie 70, which includes South Prairie Elementary School.
$15,098
Per student
-32%
vs North Dakota
Avg $22,219
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.3%
State 54.0%
Federal 11.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 155
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
Similar other schools in Minot
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
John Hoeven Elementary School
Standard public school
504 students 16:1 students per teacher
Edison Elementary School
Standard public school
461 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Longfellow Elementary School
Standard public school
435 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Lewis and Clark Elementary School
Standard public school
418 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Perkett Elementary School
Standard public school
394 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Washington Elementary School
Standard public school
336 students 13:1 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 Prairie Elementary School
How many students attend South Prairie Elementary School?
South Prairie Elementary School has 411 students enrolled. It is a other school in Minot, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Prairie Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Prairie Elementary School is 15.3:1, which is 31% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.7:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Prairie Elementary School?
15.7% of students at South Prairie Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Prairie Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at South Prairie Elementary School is White at 81.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Minot, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Prairie Elementary School?
South Prairie Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C) 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.