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Whitewood Elementary - 04

Public Grades PK, KG-5

9^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 97% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Whitewood Elementary - 04 is a public elementary school in Whitewood, South Dakota, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 124 students. The school is part of the Meade School District 46-1, which is ranked 65 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Whitewood Elementary - 04 consistently outperforms the district and state in academic assessments, with 72% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 78% proficient or better in Mathematics in the 2024-2025 school year. The school also excels in the performance of various student subgroups, ranking highly in the state for female, male, Native American, White, multi-racial, special education, low socioeconomic status, and military-connected students. While the school has experienced some fluctuations in chronic absenteeism rates, the latest data shows a rate of 9.9%, which is lower than the district and state averages.

Whitewood Elementary - 04's high spending per student, ranging from $10,521 to $12,919 over the past few years, may be a contributing factor to its academic success. The school's 5-star rating from SchoolDigger is a testament to its excellence, and its focus on equity and inclusive practices that support the success of all learners is particularly noteworthy. While Whitewood Elementary - 04 outperforms the nearby schools in the analysis, such as Piedmont Valley Elementary - 05 and Creekside Elementary - 07, which also demonstrate strong academic performance, Whitewood Elementary - 04 could serve as a model for other schools in the region and the state.

138

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,288

Per pupil spending ?

47.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

603 Garfield St
Whitewood, SD 57793

(605) 269-2264

District: Meade School District 46-1

Students who attend Whitewood Elementary - 04 usually attend:

Middle:	Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02
High:	Sturgis Brown High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.6%

American Indian:

3.6%

Two or more races:

2.9%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Whitewood Elementary - 04 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 68th percentile in 2015 → 97th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (74% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of South Dakota elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 29 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school74%

District avg49%

South Dakota avg47%

9^th of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 3%▲ up 29 pts since 2015

From top 32% (2015) to top 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 8Elementary Schools in the Meade School District 46-1

65^th of 147Meade School District 46-1 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	85.6	9 of 300	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	84.9	18 of 201	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	94.2	5 of 204	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	85.3	18 of 202	91.1%	★★★★★
2021	64.4	71 of 202	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.8	55 of 206	73.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.2	24 of 204	88.2%	★★★★☆
2017	60.4	83 of 207	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.6	59 of 206	71.4%	★★★★☆
2015	65.4	67 of 209	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.2	115 of 201	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	65.6	75 of 214	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.2	123 of 205	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	53.8	119 of 206	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.4	134 of 196	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	57.0	108 of 194	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	67.6	56 of 194	71.1%	★★★★☆
2006	44.4	145 of 197	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	35.9	157 of 194	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	35.6	150 of 189	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	21.2	162 of 187	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	31 of 291	89.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	84.9	10 of 237	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.5	5 of 121	95.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	85.5	13 of 292	95.5%	★★★★★
2018	65.3	59 of 170	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	86.6	4 of 58	93.1%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	78.2	15 of 165	90.9%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	96.5	3 of 152	98.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	88.5	7 of 248	97.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	79.7	17 of 287	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	73.0	38 of 184	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	92.3	6 of 185	96.8%	★★★★★
2021	44.7	110 of 185	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.2	78 of 191	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.7	27 of 186	85.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Native American (2025)98th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)96th percentile~ school

Male (2025)96th percentile~ school

White (2025)94th percentile-3 vs school

Military Connected (2025)93rd percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)91st percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)89th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics78%+35 vs state

English Language Arts72%+21 vs state

Science67%+26 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, June 19, 2020

Such a great school. We chose this school because of its small classes. Now, they've added a two-day-a-week PreK that's open to all families! We're so excited. Close Quote

Schools Near Whitewood Elementary - 04

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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th 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
Whitewood Elementary - 04	Public	PK, KG-5	603 Garfield St	Whitewood	57793	Lawrence County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 269-2264	138	10	13.5	47.1%	125 (90.6%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	85.6	9^th of 300 public elementary schools	97.0%		84.9	18^th of 201 public elementary schools	91.0%	9	46.2	68.8	90.5	72.0	76.9	68.8	85.7	78.0	66.7	$13,288	$1,441	$11,847
Sturgis Elementary - 03	Public	K-4	1121 Ballpark Rd	Sturgis	57785	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 347-2386	531	43	12.2	40.7%	460 (86.6%)	3 (0.6%)	22 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.0%)	55.5	144^th of 300 public elementary schools	52.0%		66.2	61^st of 201 public elementary schools	69.7%	83	40.0	51.8		45.9	50.9	55.5		53.2		$11,504	$1,151	$10,354
Lead-Deadwood Elementary - 03	Public	K-5	716 Main St	Deadwood	57732	Lawrence County	Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 717-3884	243	27	9.0	21.4%	221 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.2%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	49.5	167^th of 300 public elementary schools	44.3%		36.1	139^th of 201 public elementary schools	30.8%	28	34.6	47.6	52.5	44.0	44.2	47.6	32.5	41.8	42.5	$19,853	$2,133	$17,719
Mountain View Elementary - 08	Public	K	400 E Hudson	Spearfish	57783	Lawrence County	Spearfish School District 40-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 717-1209	168	14	11.7	20.8%	133 (79.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (8.9%)	1 (0.6%)	5 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (8.3%)								(n/a)										$11,926	$949	$10,978
Creekside Elementary - 07	Public	3-5	2325 N Ave	Spearfish	57783	Lawrence County	Spearfish School District 40-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 717-1210	553	36	15.4	23.0%	478 (86.4%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (4.3%)	5 (0.9%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.5%)	66.2	101^st of 300 public elementary schools	66.3%		62.9	68^th of 201 public elementary schools	66.2%	33	50.8	57.1	64.4	57.2	53.4	56.5	46.0	52.0	50.6	$9,983	$727	$9,256
West Elementary - 03	Public	1-2	920 W King St	Spearfish	57783	Lawrence County	Spearfish School District 40-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 717-1205	322	31	10.5	17.1%	283 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)								(n/a)										$11,874	$1,519	$10,355
South Park Elementary - 03	Public	1-4	1816 Valley Dr	Belle Fourche	57717	Butte County	Belle Fourche School District 09-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 723-3382	347	30	11.5	53.9%	288 (83.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.5%)	48.5	170^th of 300 public elementary schools	43.3%		29.9	151^st of 201 public elementary schools	24.9%	19	36.4	49.4		42.9	42.1	50.6		46.3		$11,949	$1,727	$10,222
North Park Elementary - 08	Public	K	29 N 6th Ave	Belle Fourche	57717	Butte County	Belle Fourche School District 09-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 723-3379	89	8	10.6	44.9%	79 (88.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)								(n/a)										$13,139	$516	$12,623
Piedmont Valley Elementary - 05	Public	K-4	16159 2nd St	Piedmont	57769	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 787-5295	514	37	13.8	25.3%	435 (84.6%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.6%)	4 (0.8%)	12 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.6%)	66.7	96^th of 300 public elementary schools	68.0%		68.9	51^st of 201 public elementary schools	74.6%	45	56.0	49.6		52.6	66.0	58.6		62.1		$10,908	$800	$10,108

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitewood Elementary - 04

Is Whitewood Elementary - 04 a good school?

Yes! Whitewood Elementary - 04 is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 9^th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools.

How many students attend Whitewood Elementary - 04?

In the 2024-25 school year, 138 students attended Whitewood Elementary - 04.

What schools do graduates of Whitewood Elementary - 04 attend?

Students who attend Whitewood Elementary - 04 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02
High : Sturgis Brown High School - 01

What is the racial makeup of Whitewood Elementary - 04?

Students at Whitewood Elementary - 04 are 91% White, 4% American Indian, 3% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What district is Whitewood Elementary - 04 in?

Meade School District 46-1

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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.