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Custer Elementary - 02

Q: Is Custer Elementary - 02 a good school?

Custer Elementary - 02 ranks 43 rd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

43^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 86% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Custer Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school in Custer, South Dakota, serving 293 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Custer School District 16-1, which is ranked 58 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating.

Custer Elementary - 02 consistently performs above the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The school ranks 43 out of 300 South Dakota elementary schools, with a 4-star rating. Its performance is particularly strong in English Language Arts (63.39% proficient) and Mathematics (60.13% proficient), significantly higher than the state averages. The school also excels in student subgroup performance, with exceptional results for Hispanic, multi-racial, English Language Learner, and foster care students.

While Custer Elementary - 02 is a high-performing school, it has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.7% to 20.2% in recent years. The school's performance with Native American students and students with special needs also suggests an opportunity for improvement. By addressing these challenges and continuing to focus on serving all students, Custer Elementary - 02 can maintain its position as a model elementary school in the state.

269

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,165

Per pupil spending ?

34.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1415 Wildcat Ln
Custer, SD 57730

(605) 673-4483

District: Custer School District 16-1

Students who attend Custer Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	Custer Junior High - 05
High:	Custer High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.0%

Hispanic:

8.9%

Two or more races:

4.8%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Custer Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2015 → 86th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (62% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of South Dakota elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 51 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg56%

South Dakota avg47%

43^rd of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 51 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to top 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Custer School District 16-1

58^th of 147Custer School District 16-1 among South Dakota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	76.7	43 of 300	85.7%	★★★★☆
2024	63.2	67 of 201	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.4	69 of 204	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	103 of 202	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.8	119 of 202	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	126 of 206	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.4	159 of 204	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	39.8	142 of 207	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.5	155 of 206	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	43.8	136 of 209	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	64.0	73 of 201	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.4	89 of 214	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	44.8	147 of 205	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	58.7	101 of 206	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	50.5	124 of 196	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	57.9	104 of 194	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.9	135 of 194	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	53.7	126 of 197	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	53.3	117 of 194	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	52.5	117 of 189	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2003	59.8	79 of 187	57.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	75.2	18 of 176	89.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	72.4	55 of 291	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	63.6	56 of 165	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.7	45 of 154	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	49.7	76 of 150	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	106 of 151	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.3	92 of 155	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.3	113 of 163	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	62.8	11 of 61	82.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	75.2	17 of 163	89.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	61.1	70 of 237	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	56.7	32 of 110	70.9%	★★★★☆
2023	66.7	30 of 112	73.2%	★★★★☆
2021	61.5	31 of 106	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	43.1	72 of 121	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	92 of 121	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	75.8	38 of 292	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	62.3	59 of 161	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.3	52 of 166	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.5	72 of 154	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.3	75 of 157	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.0	91 of 160	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.3	136 of 170	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	66.7	37 of 165	77.6%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	39.2	87 of 152	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	51.9	95 of 248	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	23.6	54 of 62	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	70.4	62 of 287	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	56.0	80 of 184	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.8	72 of 185	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.4	99 of 184	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.0	121 of 185	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.2	137 of 191	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.9	165 of 186	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2025)90th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)90th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)87th percentile~ school

Foster Care (2025)82nd percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)81st percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)78th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)78th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2025)62nd percentile-24 vs school

Native American (2025)43rd percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Science66%+25 vs state

English Language Arts63%+12 vs state

Mathematics60%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Custer Elementary - 02

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Custer Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-6	1415 Wildcat Ln	Custer	57730	Custer County	Custer School District 16-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 673-4483	269	26	10.3	34.2%	226 (84.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.8%)	76.7	43^rd of 300 public elementary schools	85.7%		63.2	67^th of 201 public elementary schools	66.7%	24	48.5	72.2	73.2	58.1	63.4	51.5	63.9	61.0	62.8	60.1	65.9	$17,165	$950	$16,215
Hill City Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	341 Main St	Hill City	57745	Pennington County	Hill City School District 51-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 574-3015	247	19	13.3	31.6%	182 (73.7%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (15.8%)	2 (0.8%)	12 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.9%)	60	124^th of 300 public elementary schools	58.7%		49.4	111^th of 201 public elementary schools	44.8%	13	46.0	52.6	67.5		55.0	46.0	50.0	39.5		45.0	48.8	$12,981	$1,637	$11,344

Frequently Asked Questions about Custer Elementary - 02

How many students attend Custer Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 269 students attended Custer Elementary - 02.

What district is Custer Elementary - 02 in?

Custer School District 16-1

What schools do graduates of Custer Elementary - 02 attend?

Students who attend Custer Elementary - 02 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Custer Junior High - 05
High : Custer High School - 01

What is the racial makeup of Custer Elementary - 02?

Students at Custer Elementary - 02 are 84% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

Is Custer Elementary - 02 a good school?

Custer Elementary - 02 ranks 43^rd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Custer Elementary - 02!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Dakota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.