Enrollment
22
Middle
DISTRICT 28 · STATE 187
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LEOLA SCHOOL DISTRICT 44-2·NCES 464164000919
Leola Jr. High - 03
820 Leola Ave, Leola, SD 57456 · (605) 439-3477 · McPherson County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL22 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
5.6:1
4 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 9.1:1 · STATE 13.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
41%
9 students
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 42%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Leola School District 44-2. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
31.8%
SD avg 50.3% . -8.2pp since 2022
Math
54.6%
SD avg 47.5% . +26.6pp since 2022
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 32 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 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 8 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 27 points.
Source: SD Smarter Balanced. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
44.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.3%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% typical for South Dakota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among South Dakota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
22
+9 (+69%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
5.6:1
was 4.8:1
% White
100%
was 100%
% Hispanic
0%
was 0%
% Black
0%
was 0%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Leola Jr. High - 03
Leola Jr. High - 03, a minimally staffed middle-grades school in Leola, South Dakota, run under Leola School District 44-2, educates 22 students, covering grades 6 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 187 students per school, that is 88% smaller than typical.
Leola School District 44-2 runs 6 schools in total, collectively educating 170 students. Leola Jr. High - 03 is one of those campuses.
Looking at the student body, Leola Jr. High - 03 reports that the student body is overwhelmingly White (100%). That composition is broadly in line with McPherson County as a whole.
On the resource side, The school reports having 4 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 5.6:1. The state averages around 13.4:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 41% of students at Leola Jr. High - 03 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.
With demographic context factored in, Leola Jr. High - 03 sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 46.3%; this one delivers 44.7%.
Across the wider county, ACS estimates for McPherson County put median household income runs about $66,906, about 27% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across McPherson County's 10 public schools (combined enrollment of about 345 students), Leola Jr. High - 03 is one campus in the mix.
The closest other public school is Leola Alternative School - 07, roughly 0.0 miles away. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.
Leola Jr. High - 03 operates from an outlying location.
Looking at the recent track record. Leola Jr. High - 03's enrollment has grew 69% since 2018, when it stood at 13 (now 22).
Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.
McPherson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,145
Census ACS
Median income
$66,906
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
345 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Leola School District 44-2
- Leola Elementary - 02Elementary · 57 students
- Leola High School - 01High · 38 students
- Long Lake Colony Elementary - 05Elementary · 30 students
- Grassland Colony Elementary - 06Elementary · 12 students
- Leola Alternative School - 07High · 11 students
Other schools in Leola
- Leola Elementary - 02Elementary · 57 students
- Leola High School - 01High · 38 students
- Rosette Colony Elementary - 03Elementary · 31 students
- Deerfield Colony Elementary - 05Elementary · 26 students
- Leola Alternative School - 07High · 11 students
Nearby schools
- Leola Alternative School - 070.0 mi · 11
- Leola High School - 010.0 mi · 38
- Leola Elementary - 020.0 mi · 57
- Grassland Colony Elementary - 068.0 mi · 12
- Deerfield Colony Elementary - 059.3 mi · 26
- Long Lake Colony Elementary - 059.7 mi · 30
Frequently asked questions
About Leola Jr. High - 03How many students attend Leola Jr. High - 03?
Leola Jr. High - 03 enrolls approximately 22 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Leola Jr. High - 03 serve?
Leola Jr. High - 03 serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Leola Jr. High - 03?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Leola Jr. High - 03 is approximately 5.6:1 (4 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Leola Jr. High - 03?
At Leola Jr. High - 03, the student body is approximately 100% White.
Who oversees Leola Jr. High - 03?
Leola Jr. High - 03 is overseen by Leola School District 44-2 in McPherson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.