Enrollment
69
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Willow Lake, SD
Willow Lake High School - 01
Federal NCES profile for Willow Lake High School - 01, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 467935000756
👥 S:T ratio 54
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Willow Lake High School - 01 earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Willow Lake · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- students per teacher
- 8.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Willow Lake High School - 01 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Willow Lake High School - 01 ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Willow Lake, SD.
School address
District: Willow Lake School District 12-3 · South Dakota
NCES ID 467935000756 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.8%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Willow Lake High School - 01 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Willow Lake High School - 01
Willow Lake High School - 01 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Willow Lake, South Dakota, enrolling 69 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 8.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 69 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 106 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment) (diversity index 8/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 138 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Willow Lake School District 12-3 also operates Willow Lake Elementary - 02 (153 students) and Willow Lake Middle School - 03 (54 students) alongside Willow Lake 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 Willow Lake High School - 01 compares
Willow Lake 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.8% | ▼ 69% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 69 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
69
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
8.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 32% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,121
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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 95.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Largest group: White at 95.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.3, Willow Lake 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 Willow Lake School District 12-3, which includes Willow Lake High School - 01.
$11,121
Per student
-17%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 27.0%
Federal 10.0%
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 Willow Lake High School - 01 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Lake Elementary - 02 | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willow Lake Middle School - 03 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mayfield Colony Elementary - 04 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shamrock Colony Elementary - 05 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Collins Colony Elementary - 06 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Willow Lake High School - 01's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 153
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 54
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
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 (~69 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Willow Lake High School - 01's federal record.
- Compare Willow Lake High School - 01 against another school. Compare schools
- Willow Lake School District 12-3'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 Willow Lake High School - 01
How many students attend Willow Lake High School - 01?
Willow Lake High School - 01 has 69 students enrolled. It is a high school in Willow Lake, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow Lake High School - 01?
The student-teacher ratio at Willow Lake High School - 01 is 11.5:1, which is 15% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 27% 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 Willow Lake High School - 01?
8.8% of students at Willow Lake 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 Willow Lake High School - 01?
The largest demographic group at Willow Lake High School - 01 is White at 95.7% of enrollment, in Willow Lake, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Willow Lake High School - 01?
Willow Lake High School - 01 has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Willow Lake High School - 01 rank among public schools in Willow Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Willow Lake High School - 01 ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Willow Lake, 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 Willow Lake on the city page.
Is Willow Lake High School - 01 a good school?
Willow Lake High School - 01 earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. 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 Willow Lake School District 12-3?
Besides Willow Lake High School - 01, Willow Lake School District 12-3 also operates Willow Lake Elementary - 02 (153 students), Willow Lake Middle School - 03 (54 students), and Mayfield Colony Elementary - 04 (31 students). See the Willow Lake School District 12-3 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.