Enrollment
454
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 461941000436
Vandenberg Elementary - 02 — Box Elder, SD
Federal NCES profile for Vandenberg Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 35
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: Douglas School District 51-1 · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.8%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vandenberg Elementary - 02 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
Vandenberg Elementary - 02 reports 454 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 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: 21.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% below the South Dakota average and 58% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 454 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Douglas School District 51-1 spends $12,792 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.1% from local sources (property taxes), 47.1% from the state, and 31.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), 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 Vandenberg Elementary - 02 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 13% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.8% | ▼ 24% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 454 | top 88% | — | — |
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
21.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 70% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,792
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 454 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 454 Top 88% in South Dakota — larger than 12% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 15.2:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.8% -24% vs state
NCES ID 461941000436
Student demographics
White 64.8%
Two or More 12.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 9.9%
African American 1.8%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 64.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 454:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Douglas School District 51-1, which includes Vandenberg Elementary - 02.
$12,792
Per student
-21%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.1%
State 47.1%
Federal 31.8%
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
- 982
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Box Elder
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Vandenberg Elementary - 02
How many students attend Vandenberg Elementary - 02?
Vandenberg Elementary - 02 has 454 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Box Elder, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vandenberg Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Vandenberg Elementary - 02 is 15.2:1, which is 13% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vandenberg Elementary - 02?
21.8% of students at Vandenberg Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vandenberg Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Vandenberg Elementary - 02 is White at 64.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Box Elder, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vandenberg Elementary - 02?
Vandenberg Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) 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.