Enrollment
30
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 467851000950
White Lake Middle School - 03 — White Lake, SD
Federal NCES profile for White Lake Middle School - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 75
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 →
The verdict
White Lake Middle School - 03 earns a C- Resource Investment Index (54/100), with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- C-
- Resource Index · 54/100
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 33.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 30
- students enrolled
School address
District: White Lake School District 01-3 · 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How White Lake Middle School - 03 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
White Lake Middle School - 03 reports 30 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 15.7:1, 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: 33.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the South Dakota average and 36% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 150 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding White Lake School District 01-3 spends $13,709 per pupil district-wide, above the South Dakota average of $13,477 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 59.9% from local sources (property taxes), 25.4% from the state, and 14.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 White Lake Middle School - 03 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.3% | ▲ 16% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 30 | top 18% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
15 smaller classes than 49% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
30 larger than 4% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
33.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% above 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 69% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,709
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Dakota avg of $13,477
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Per 150 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
Enrollment 30 Top 18% in South Dakota — larger than 82% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.3% +16% vs state
NCES ID 467851000950
Student demographics
White 90.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 6.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Largest group: White at 90.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.2
Students per counselor 150:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for White Lake School District 01-3, which includes White Lake Middle School - 03.
$13,709
Per student
+2%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.9%
State 25.4%
Federal 14.8%
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
- 62
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Enrollment
- 33
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare White Lake Middle School - 03 side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about White Lake Middle School - 03
How many students attend White Lake Middle School - 03?
White Lake Middle School - 03 has 30 students enrolled. It is a middle school in White Lake, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at White Lake Middle School - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at White Lake Middle School - 03 is 15:1, which is 11% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at White Lake Middle School - 03?
33.3% of students at White Lake Middle School - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of White Lake Middle School - 03?
The largest demographic group at White Lake Middle School - 03 is White at 90.0%. The school serves a student body in White Lake, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for White Lake Middle School - 03?
White Lake Middle School - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) 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.
Is White Lake Middle School - 03 a good school?
White Lake Middle School - 03 earns a C- Resource Investment Index (54/100), with class sizes near the South Dakota median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.