Summary:
The city of Mission, South Dakota is home to a single elementary school, Todd County Elementary - 16, which serves students in the Todd County School District 66-1. This school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of South Dakota elementary schools in recent years, with a ranking of 273 out of 300 schools in the 2024-2025 school year.
Todd County Elementary - 16 has struggled academically, with significantly lower proficiency rates on Smarter Balanced Assessments compared to state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 16.3% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 50.93%. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rate was just 9.25%, while the state average was 43.49%. The school's 5th-grade Science proficiency rate was also low at 8.96%, compared to the state average of 40.54%. Additionally, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2%, which is significantly higher than the state average.
Despite the school's challenges, it serves a disadvantaged population, with 100% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. The school's per-student spending for the 2023-2024 school year was $18,560, which is higher than the state average. However, the low academic performance suggests that the additional resources may not be effectively translating into improved student outcomes. Addressing the root causes of the school's consistently low performance and high chronic absenteeism will likely require a comprehensive approach involving increased resources, targeted interventions, and a focus on improving the overall educational experience for the students.
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