Enrollment
145
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wessington Springs, SD
Wessington Springs Elementary - 02
Federal NCES profile for Wessington Springs Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 467746000732
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of South Dakota schools.
- #4 of 7
- public schools in Wessington Springs · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.4:1
- small classes for South Dakota
- 24.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 has class sizes smaller than 76% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Wessington Springs, SD.
School address
District: Wessington Springs School District 36-2 · South Dakota
NCES ID 467746000732 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.3%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wessington Springs Elementary - 02
Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, enrolling 145 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 24.3% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 145 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.
Against 118 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment) (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 145 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Wessington Springs School District 36-2 also operates Wessington Springs High School Cyber School - 92 (138 students) and Wessington Springs High School - 01 (94 students) alongside Wessington Springs 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 Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 compares
Wessington Springs 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 24% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.3% | ▼ 16% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 145 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
145
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 24% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,078
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 145 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 95.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 95.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.2, Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wessington Springs School District 36-2, which includes Wessington Springs Elementary - 02.
$11,078
Per student
-18%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.1%
State 27.4%
Federal 10.5%
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 Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wessington Springs High School Cyber School - 92 | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wessington Springs High School - 01 | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wessington Springs Jr. High - 04 | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wessington Springs Middle School Cyber School - 93 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Spring Valley Colony Elementary - 05 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wessington Springs Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 138
- Students per teacher
- 69:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 94
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 41
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 22
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other 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 (~145 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wessington Springs Elementary - 02's federal record.
- Compare Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Wessington Springs School District 36-2'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 Wessington Springs Elementary - 02
How many students attend Wessington Springs Elementary - 02?
Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 has 145 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wessington Springs, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wessington Springs Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 is 10.4:1, which is 24% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 34% 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 Wessington Springs Elementary - 02?
24.3% of students at Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wessington Springs Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 is White at 95.2% of enrollment, in Wessington Springs, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wessington Springs Elementary - 02?
Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Wessington Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Wessington Springs, 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 Wessington Springs on the city page.
Is Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 a good school?
Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% 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 Wessington Springs School District 36-2?
Besides Wessington Springs Elementary - 02, Wessington Springs School District 36-2 also operates Wessington Springs High School Cyber School - 92 (138 students), Wessington Springs High School - 01 (94 students), and Wessington Springs Jr. High - 04 (41 students). See the Wessington Springs School District 36-2 district page for the complete list.
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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.