Enrollment
545
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 466693000622
Spearfish Middle School - 05 — Spearfish, SD
Federal NCES profile for Spearfish Middle School - 05, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 57
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: Spearfish School District 40-2 · 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.7%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spearfish Middle School - 05 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
Spearfish Middle School - 05 reports 545 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 11.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% below the South Dakota average and 77% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 273 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Spearfish School District 40-2 spends $11,695 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.5% from local sources (property taxes), 31.6% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 Spearfish Middle School - 05 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.7% | ▼ 59% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 545 | top 92% | — | — |
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
11.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 69% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.2%
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
$11,695
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 273 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 545 Top 92% in South Dakota — larger than 8% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 11.7% -59% vs state
NCES ID 466693000622
Student demographics
White 87.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
Two or More 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Asian 1.3%
African American 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 87.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 273:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.2%
In-school suspensions 67
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spearfish School District 40-2, which includes Spearfish Middle School - 05.
$11,695
Per student
-28%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 56.5%
State 31.6%
Federal 11.9%
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
- 787
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 553
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 322
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Enrollment
- 168
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- 7.3:1
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 Spearfish Middle School - 05
How many students attend Spearfish Middle School - 05?
Spearfish Middle School - 05 has 545 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Spearfish, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spearfish Middle School - 05?
The student-teacher ratio at Spearfish Middle School - 05 is 15:1, which is 11% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spearfish Middle School - 05?
11.7% of students at Spearfish Middle School - 05 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spearfish Middle School - 05?
The largest demographic group at Spearfish Middle School - 05 is White at 87.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Spearfish, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spearfish Middle School - 05?
Spearfish Middle School - 05 has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) 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.