Best Public Schools in Bonesteel, SD

Summary:

The city of Bonesteel, South Dakota has only one school, South Central Elementary - 03, which serves grades PK-5 with an enrollment of 58 students. The school is part of the South Central 26-5 district, which is ranked 56 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

South Central Elementary - 03 has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking over the years, ranking 87th out of 194 elementary schools in 2006-2007, 158th out of 206 in 2015-2016, and 121st out of 300 in 2024-2025. The school's performance on standardized tests is mixed, with 59.09% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts (ELA) compared to 50.93% statewide, but only 45.46% proficient or better in Mathematics compared to 43.49% statewide. The school also has a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2%.

Despite these challenges, South Central Elementary - 03 has a low student-teacher ratio of 8:1 and spends $25,950 per student, which is significantly higher than the national average. Additionally, the school serves a high percentage of students (68.97%) who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating the presence of socioeconomic challenges in the community. Overall, the data suggests that South Central Elementary - 03 is a relatively stable school with some strengths in ELA performance, but also faces issues related to chronic absenteeism and socioeconomic factors.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	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
South Central Elementary - 03	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Birdsell St	Bonesteel	57317	Gregory County	South Central School District 26-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 654-2314	52	7	7.0	69.2%	32 (61.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (36.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	60.7	121^st of 300 public elementary schools	59.7%					(n/a)	40.0	100.0	57.1	59.1	40.0	40.0	57.2	45.5	57.2	$28,696	$00	$28,696

Cities Near Bonesteel

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Burke	15.53 mi	4	54^th
Gregory	23.07 mi	3	73^rd
Platte	24.72 mi	4	35^th
Lake Andes	26.26 mi	4	122^nd
Academy	28.83 mi	1	147^th

See the top SD South Dakota cities

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.