Summary:
The city of Lake Andes, South Dakota is home to four schools that serve students from elementary through high school, all part of the Andes Central School District 11-1. While the district faces challenges common to rural areas, such as high rates of chronic absenteeism and economic disadvantage, one school, Lakeview Colony Elementary - 05, stands out with exceptional academic performance.
Lakeview Colony Elementary - 05, a small school with just 25 students, consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in South Dakota, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school ranked 68th out of 300 elementary schools in the state, with an impressive 94.12% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 76.47% proficient or better in Mathematics. In contrast, other schools in the district, such as Andes Central Elementary - 02 and Andes Central Middle School - 04, have lower test scores and rankings compared to the state average.
The data also reveals that the district as a whole faces significant challenges, with all four schools having a chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2% in the 2024-2025 school year, well above the state average. Additionally, Andes Central High School - 01 had a lower-than-average four-year graduation rate of 86.4% and a slightly higher dropout rate of 2.6%. Despite these challenges, the district's spending per student is higher than the state average, suggesting the need for more targeted interventions to support student learning and address the underlying issues affecting academic performance across the district.
Thank you for your feedback!