Enrollment
583
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Tea, SD
Tea Area Middle School - 02
Federal NCES profile for Tea Area Middle School - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 460005200853
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tea Area Middle School - 02 earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of South Dakota schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Tea · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 8.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Tea Area Middle School - 02 has class sizes larger than 92% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tea Area Middle School - 02 ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Tea, SD.
School address
District: Tea Area School District 41-5 · South Dakota
NCES ID 460005200853 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.0%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tea Area Middle School - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tea Area Middle School - 02
Tea Area Middle School - 02 is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Tea, South Dakota, enrolling 583 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.8:1 is larger than about 92% of South Dakota schools and 38% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 8.0% free-meal eligibility runs 72% below the South Dakota average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Dakota, bigger than 93% of state schools at 583 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 61 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #22.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 292 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Tea Area School District 41-5 spends $8,726 per pupil, 35% below the South Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Tea Area School District 41-5 also operates Tea Area High School - 03 (717 students) and Tea Area Legacy Elementary - 01 (538 students) alongside Tea Area 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 Tea Area Middle School - 02 compares
Tea Area 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 38% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.0% | ▼ 72% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 583 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
583
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
8.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 38% above state mean
Top 92% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$8,726
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 292 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
70
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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 80.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 80.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.4, Tea Area Middle School - 02 is more mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tea Area School District 41-5, which includes Tea Area Middle School - 02.
$8,726
Per student
-35%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-47%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 50.0%
Federal 10.8%
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 Tea Area Middle School - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tea Area High School - 03 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tea Area Legacy Elementary - 01 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tea Area Venture Elementary - 06 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tea Area Frontier Elementary - 05 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tea Area Preschool - 07 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tea Area Middle School - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 717
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 538
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 73
- Students per teacher
- 73:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
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 (~583 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tea Area Middle School - 02's federal record.
- Compare Tea Area Middle School - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Tea Area School District 41-5'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 Tea Area Middle School - 02
How many students attend Tea Area Middle School - 02?
Tea Area Middle School - 02 has 583 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Tea, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tea Area Middle School - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Tea Area Middle School - 02 is 18.8:1, which is 38% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tea Area Middle School - 02?
8.0% of students at Tea Area 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 Tea Area Middle School - 02?
The largest demographic group at Tea Area Middle School - 02 is White at 80.4% of enrollment, in Tea, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tea Area Middle School - 02?
Tea Area Middle School - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 Tea Area Middle School - 02 rank among public schools in Tea?
By Resource Investment Index, Tea Area Middle School - 02 ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Tea, 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 Tea on the city page.
Is Tea Area Middle School - 02 a good school?
Tea Area Middle School - 02 earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Tea Area School District 41-5?
Besides Tea Area Middle School - 02, Tea Area School District 41-5 also operates Tea Area High School - 03 (717 students), Tea Area Legacy Elementary - 01 (538 students), and Tea Area Venture Elementary - 06 (379 students). See the Tea Area School District 41-5 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.