Enrollment
368
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 463171000777
West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 — Hartford, SD
Federal NCES profile for West Central Hartford Elementary - 05, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 94
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: West Central School District 49-7 · 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.4%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 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
West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 reports 368 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 6.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 78% below the South Dakota average and 88% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 368 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 2.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding West Central School District 49-7 spends $11,621 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.4% from local sources (property taxes), 39.1% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.4% | ▼ 78% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 368 | top 82% | — | — |
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
6.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 78% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 51% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
2.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,621
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 368 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 368 Top 82% in South Dakota — larger than 18% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 6.4% -78% vs state
NCES ID 463171000777
Student demographics
White 91.6%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
Two or More 2.4%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 91.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 368:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 2.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Central School District 49-7, which includes West Central Hartford Elementary - 05.
$11,621
Per student
-28%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.4%
State 39.1%
Federal 12.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 310
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 29
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Enrollment
- 6
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
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 West Central Hartford Elementary - 05
How many students attend West Central Hartford Elementary - 05?
West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 has 368 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Hartford, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Central Hartford Elementary - 05?
The student-teacher ratio at West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 is 13.4:1, which is 1% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 16% 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 West Central Hartford Elementary - 05?
6.4% of students at West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Central Hartford Elementary - 05?
The largest demographic group at West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 is White at 91.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hartford, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Central Hartford Elementary - 05?
West Central Hartford Elementary - 05 has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.