Kadoka Middle School - 03

As a micro-enrollment junior high in Kadoka, South Dakota, Kadoka Middle School - 03 teaches 51 students from grades 6 through 8, overseen by Kadoka Area School District 35-2. Enrollment runs roughly 73% leaner than the state mean of about 187.

Across the 6 schools in Kadoka Area School District 35-2 (283 students total), Kadoka Middle School - 03 accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Kadoka Middle School - 03 lists that the largest single group is White, at 57% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school shows 41% Native American. By comparison, Jackson County as a whole is about 37% White, so the school skews visibly more White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Kadoka Middle School - 03 logs 3 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.4:1, putting Kadoka Middle School - 03 higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 49% of students at Kadoka Middle School - 03 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Jackson County runs at roughly 72%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Kadoka Middle School - 03 ranks in the top 10% of South Dakota public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 42.9%; Kadoka Middle School - 03 posts 70.6%, +27.6 points above that line.

Across the wider county, Jackson County reports that the typical household earns roughly $35,417 per year, roughly 12% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 40%. Across Jackson County's 6 public schools (combined enrollment of about 547 students), Kadoka Middle School - 03 is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Kadoka Elementary - 02, roughly 0.0 miles away. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Kadoka Middle School - 03 ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 48.6%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count expanded 42%: 36 students in 2018 compared to 51 in 2025. The White share of enrollment ticked up from 47% to 57% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 25.2:1 in 2018 to 18.3:1 in 2025.

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