Enrollment
70
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 467188000940
Timber Lake Middle School - 03 — Timber Lake, SD
Federal NCES profile for Timber Lake Middle School - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 68
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 64
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: Timber Lake School District 20-3 · 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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.1:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Timber Lake Middle School - 03 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
Timber Lake Middle School - 03 reports 70 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 40% 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 49% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the South Dakota average and 43% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 140 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Timber Lake School District 20-3 spends $21,536 per pupil district-wide, above the South Dakota average of $16,140 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 11.7% from local sources (property taxes), 21.5% from the state, and 66.8% 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 Timber Lake Middle School - 03 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 | 8.1:1 | ▼ 40% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.6% | ▲ 3% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 70 | top 38% | — | — |
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
29.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% above 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
8.1:1
students per teacher
— 40% below state mean
Top 10% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.3%
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
$21,536
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Dakota avg of $16,140
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 140 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 70 Top 38% in South Dakota — larger than 62% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 8.1:1 -40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.6% +3% vs state
NCES ID 467188000940
Student demographics
American Indian / Alaska Native 51.4%
White 47.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 51.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 140:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.3%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Timber Lake School District 20-3, which includes Timber Lake Middle School - 03.
$21,536
Per student
+33%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 11.7%
State 21.5%
Federal 66.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 185
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Enrollment
- 117
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
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 Timber Lake Middle School - 03
How many students attend Timber Lake Middle School - 03?
Timber Lake Middle School - 03 has 70 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Timber Lake, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Timber Lake Middle School - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Timber Lake Middle School - 03 is 8.1:1, which is 40% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 49% 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 Timber Lake Middle School - 03?
29.6% of students at Timber Lake Middle School - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Timber Lake Middle School - 03?
The largest demographic group at Timber Lake Middle School - 03 is American Indian / Alaska Native at 51.4%. The school serves a student body in Timber Lake, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Timber Lake Middle School - 03?
Timber Lake Middle School - 03 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.