Enrollment
49
Elementary
DISTRICT 160 · STATE 204
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MEADE SCHOOL DISTRICT 46-1·NCES 466993000736
Central Meade County School - 09
19625 Ball Field Road, Union Center, SD 57787 · (605) 269-2264 · Meade County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY43-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL49 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 26% of South Dakota public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded South Dakota public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
9.2:1
5 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.4:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
6%
3 students
DISTRICT 29% · STATE 42%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 5 | 10% |
| Grade 1 | 4 | 8% |
| Grade 2 | 9 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 3 | 6% |
| Grade 4 | 3 | 6% |
| Grade 5 | 5 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 6 | 12% |
| Grade 7 | 6 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 8 | 16% |
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Central Meade County School - 09→Sturgis Brown High School - 01
Based on grade levels within Meade School District 46-1. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Central Meade County School - 09.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
44.8%
SD avg 50.3% . -13.7pp since 2022
Math
37.9%
SD avg 47.5% . -1.1pp since 2022
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 38 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all South Dakota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 47. Reading and writing scores are down about 14 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 1 points.
SD Smarter Balanced results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 44.8% | 37.9% |
| 2023-24 | 43.8% | 42.4% |
| 2022-23 | 58.5% | 39.0% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SD Smarter Balanced. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of SD schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
41.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
60.5%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-19.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 61% typical for South Dakota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where Central Meade County School - 09 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Dakota | In Meade County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 49 | #249 of 331 | #5 of 10 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
49
-8 (-14%) vs 2020
+2% since 2000-01, when it was 48
Student : Teacher
9.2:1
was 14.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 49 | 5.3 | 9.2:1 | 6% (3) |
| 2023-24 | 48 | 4.7 | 10.3:1 | 6% (3) |
| 2022-23 | 56 | 4.9 | 11.5:1 | 5% (3) |
| 2020-21 | 57 | 4 | 14.3:1 | 7% (4) |
| 2017-18 | 54 | 4.7 | 11.5:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2015-16 | 44 | 3 | 14.7:1 | 7% (3) |
| 2010-11 | 29 | 3 | 9.7:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 48 | 4 | 12.0:1 | 0% (0) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central Meade County School - 09.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (54 to 49); teachers up 14% (4.7 to 5.3).
About Central Meade County School - 09
Central Meade County School - 09 is a small elementary school with its address in Union Center, South Dakota. The school's 49 students are in kindergarten through 8. Statewide, elementary schools in South Dakota average about 204 students each.
Meade School District 46-1 (11 schools, 3,047 students) runs Central Meade County School - 09.
White students are the large majority at Central Meade County School - 09, with 90% of enrollment. Other groups include 10% multiracial. The county population is about 86% White, within a few points of the school.
Dividing enrollment by its 5.3 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 9.2:1. Among elementary schools in South Dakota, the typical ratio is 15.4:1. Eligible students account for 6% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. On average, public schools in Meade County report 32%.
The allk12 Grade for Central Meade County School - 09 is C. Compared with South Dakota public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 26% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Central Meade County School - 09 ranks in the bottom 10% of South Dakota schools after adjusting test results for student poverty. Actual: 41.5%. Predicted: 60.5%. Difference: 19.0 points.
Meade County has about 30,546 residents, and median household income is about $74,790, about 28% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 4% of residents are in poverty. Federal data list 16 public schools in Meade County, with a combined enrollment of about 3,395.
Nearby, Atall Elementary - 17 is about 8.4 miles away.
Locale: Rural: Remote. In NCES terms, the school is in rural territory far from an urban area.
Federal counts put enrollment at 57 in 2020-21 and 49 in 2024-25, a 14% decrease. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (9.2:1) than in 2020-21 (14.3:1).
Topics for discussion here include school safety, transportation, and start times. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Meade County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
30,546
Census ACS
Median income
$74,790
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
16
3,395 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Meade School District 46-1
- Sturgis Brown High School - 01High · 845 students
- Sturgis Elementary - 03Elementary · 531 students
- Piedmont Valley Elementary - 05Elementary · 514 students
- Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02Middle · 490 students
- Stagebarn Middle School - 10Middle · 432 students
- Whitewood Elementary - 04Elementary · 138 students
Nearby schools
- Atall Elementary - 178.4 mi · 12
- Hereford Elementary - 0814.7 mi · 13
- Elm Springs Elementary - 1318.3 mi · 10
- Opal Elementary - 1525.4 mi · 13
- Maurine Elementary - 0432.2 mi · 17
- New Underwood High School - 0133.1 mi · 92
Frequently asked questions
About Central Meade County School - 09What is the total enrollment at Central Meade County School - 09?
Central Meade County School - 09 enrolls approximately 49 students in grades KG-08.
What age range does Central Meade County School - 09 serve?
Central Meade County School - 09 serves students from grade KG through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Central Meade County School - 09?
Approximately 9.2:1 students per teacher at Central Meade County School - 09.
How diverse is Central Meade County School - 09?
Central Meade County School - 09 reports a student body of 90% White, 10% Two or more.
Is Central Meade County School - 09 public or private?
Central Meade County School - 09 is a public K-12 school, overseen by Meade School District 46-1.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.