Enrollment
33
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Faulkton, SD
Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10
Federal NCES profile for Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 462403001160
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of South Dakota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Dakota schools.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Faulkton · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- large classes for South Dakota
- 33
- students enrolled
Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 has class sizes larger than 80% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Faulkton, SD.
School address
District: Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 · South Dakota
NCES ID 462403001160 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10
Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 is a mid-sized elementary school in Faulkton, South Dakota, enrolling 33 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 33 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Its district draws 17.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Faulkton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Blumengard Colony Elementary - 06 (33 students): Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.5:1 vs 11:1).
Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 also operates Faulkton Elementary - 02 (185 students) and Faulkton High School - 01 (73 students) alongside Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10.
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 Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 compares
Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 33 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
33
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 80% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$12,546
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
Counselors0.0 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 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Faulkton Area Schools 24-4, which includes Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10.
$12,546
Per student
-7%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.3%
State 16.1%
Federal 17.6%
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 Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faulkton Elementary - 02 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Faulkton High School - 01 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Faulkton Middle School - 08 | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Blumengard Colony Elementary - 06 | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brentwood Colony Elementary - 05 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 185
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 73
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 53
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 33
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 20
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary schools in Faulkton
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~33 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10's federal record.
- Compare Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 against another school. Compare schools
- Faulkton Area Schools 24-4'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 Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10
How many students attend Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10?
Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 has 33 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Faulkton, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10?
The student-teacher ratio at Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 is 16.5:1, which is 21% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10?
The largest demographic group at Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 is White at 100.0% of enrollment, in Faulkton, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10?
Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 rank among elementary schools in Faulkton?
By Resource Investment Index, Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Faulkton, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Faulkton on the city page.
Is Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 a good school?
Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10 earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of South Dakota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Faulkton Area Schools 24-4?
Besides Thunderbird Colony Elementary - 10, Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 also operates Faulkton Elementary - 02 (185 students), Faulkton High School - 01 (73 students), and Faulkton Middle School - 08 (53 students). See the Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 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.