Enrollment
38
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Wakpala, SD
Wakpala High School - 01
Federal NCES profile for Wakpala High School - 01, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 467560000699
👥 S:T ratio 78
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wakpala High School - 01 earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of South Dakota schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Wakpala · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5.4:1
- small classes for South Dakota
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Wakpala High School - 01 has class sizes smaller than 96% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wakpala High School - 01 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Wakpala, SD.
School address
District: Smee School District 15-3 · South Dakota
NCES ID 467560000699 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.4:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-60% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+247% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wakpala High School - 01 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wakpala High School - 01
Wakpala High School - 01 is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Wakpala, South Dakota, enrolling 38 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.4:1, Wakpala High School - 01 is leaner than roughly 96% of South Dakota schools and 60% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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.
Enrollment of 38 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 691 South Dakota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 21 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (95% of enrollment) (diversity index 10/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 112 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
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.
Discipline events run high: 55 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 38 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 48 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Smee School District 15-3 also operates Wakpala Elementary - 02 (95 students) and Wakpala Middle School - 04 (41 students) alongside Wakpala High School - 01.
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 High School - 01 compares
Wakpala High School - 01 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 | 5.4:1 | ▼ 60% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 247% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 38 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.4:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
38
Bigger than 4% 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
5.4:1
students per teacher
- 60% below state mean
Top 4% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
48
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 126.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 144.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 48 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
American Indian / Alaska Native 94.7%
Two or More 5.3%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 94.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.0, Wakpala High School - 01 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smee School District 15-3, which includes Wakpala High School - 01.
$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 High School - 01 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakpala Elementary - 02 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wakpala Middle School - 04 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wakpala High School - 01's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 95
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 41
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar high 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 (~38 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wakpala High School - 01's federal record.
- Compare Wakpala High School - 01 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 High School - 01
How many students attend Wakpala High School - 01?
Wakpala High School - 01 has 38 students enrolled. It is a high school in Wakpala, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wakpala High School - 01?
The student-teacher ratio at Wakpala High School - 01 is 5.4:1, which is 60% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 66% 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 High School - 01?
100.0% of students at Wakpala High School - 01 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wakpala High School - 01?
The largest demographic group at Wakpala High School - 01 is American Indian / Alaska Native at 94.7% of enrollment, in Wakpala, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wakpala High School - 01?
Wakpala High School - 01 has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Wakpala High School - 01 rank among public schools in Wakpala?
By Resource Investment Index, Wakpala High School - 01 ranks #1 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 High School - 01 a good school?
Wakpala High School - 01 earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% 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 High School - 01, Smee School District 15-3 also operates Wakpala Elementary - 02 (95 students) and Wakpala Middle School - 04 (41 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.