Enrollment
95
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wakpala, SD
Wakpala Elementary - 02
Federal NCES profile for Wakpala Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 467560000698
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 86
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wakpala Elementary - 02 earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of South Dakota schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Wakpala · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.5:1
- small classes for South Dakota
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Wakpala Elementary - 02 has class sizes smaller than 82% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wakpala Elementary - 02 ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Wakpala, SD.
School address
District: Smee School District 15-3 · South Dakota
NCES ID 467560000698 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+247% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wakpala Elementary - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wakpala Elementary - 02
Wakpala Elementary - 02 is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Wakpala, South Dakota, enrolling 95 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 247% above the South Dakota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 95 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Dakota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (97% of enrollment) (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 71 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Smee School District 15-3 spends $26,149 per pupil, 94% above the South Dakota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 68.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Smee School District 15-3 also operates Wakpala Middle School - 04 (41 students) and Wakpala High School - 01 (38 students) alongside Wakpala Elementary - 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 Wakpala Elementary - 02 compares
Wakpala Elementary - 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 30% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 247% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 95 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.5:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
95
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 247% above the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.5:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 18% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,149
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Dakota avg of $13,477
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.3 FTE
Per 71 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 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
American Indian / Alaska Native 96.8%
White 2.1%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 96.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.2, Wakpala Elementary - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smee School District 15-3, which includes Wakpala Elementary - 02.
$26,149
Per student
+94%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
+58%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 4.2%
State 27.6%
Federal 68.3%
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 Wakpala Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakpala Middle School - 04 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wakpala High School - 01 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wakpala Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 41
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 5.4:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
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 (~95 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wakpala Elementary - 02's federal record.
- Compare Wakpala Elementary - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Smee School District 15-3'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 Wakpala Elementary - 02
How many students attend Wakpala Elementary - 02?
Wakpala Elementary - 02 has 95 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wakpala, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wakpala Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Wakpala Elementary - 02 is 9.5:1, which is 30% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 39% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wakpala Elementary - 02?
100.0% of students at Wakpala Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wakpala Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Wakpala Elementary - 02 is American Indian / Alaska Native at 96.8% of enrollment, in Wakpala, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wakpala Elementary - 02?
Wakpala Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Wakpala Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Wakpala?
By Resource Investment Index, Wakpala Elementary - 02 ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Wakpala, 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 Wakpala on the city page.
Is Wakpala Elementary - 02 a good school?
Wakpala Elementary - 02 earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% 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 Smee School District 15-3?
Besides Wakpala Elementary - 02, Smee School District 15-3 also operates Wakpala Middle School - 04 (41 students) and Wakpala High School - 01 (38 students). See the Smee School District 15-3 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.