Enrollment
54
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 467935000952
Willow Lake Middle School - 03 — Willow Lake, SD
Federal NCES profile for Willow Lake Middle School - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 23
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 91
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: Willow Lake School District 12-3 · 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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 13.5:1 South Dakota avg
+43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.5%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Willow 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
Willow Lake Middle School - 03 reports 54 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% 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 15.9:1, it is 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the South Dakota average and 70% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 216 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Willow Lake School District 12-3 spends $11,726 per pupil district-wide, below the South Dakota average of $16,140 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 63.0% from local sources (property taxes), 27.0% from the state, and 10.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Willow 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 | 19.3:1 | ▲ 43% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.5% | ▼ 46% | 28.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 54 | top 32% | — | — |
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
15.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
19.3:1
students per teacher
— 43% above state mean
Top 94% in South Dakota — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
3.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,726
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 216 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 54 Top 32% in South Dakota — larger than 68% of 698 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 19.3:1 +43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.5% -46% vs state
NCES ID 467935000952
Student demographics
White 98.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.9%
Largest group: White at 98.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 216:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.7%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Willow Lake School District 12-3, which includes Willow Lake Middle School - 03.
$11,726
Per student
-27%
vs South Dakota
Avg $16,140
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 153
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 69
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Enrollment
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
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 Willow Lake Middle School - 03
How many students attend Willow Lake Middle School - 03?
Willow Lake Middle School - 03 has 54 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Willow Lake, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow Lake Middle School - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Willow Lake Middle School - 03 is 19.3:1, which is 43% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.5:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Willow Lake Middle School - 03?
15.5% of students at Willow 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 Willow Lake Middle School - 03?
The largest demographic group at Willow Lake Middle School - 03 is White at 98.1%. The school serves a student body in Willow Lake, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Willow Lake Middle School - 03?
Willow Lake Middle School - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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.