Summary:
The city of Lead, South Dakota is home to a single middle school, Lead-Deadwood Middle School - 02, which serves grades 6-8. The school's performance has seen a decline in recent years, dropping from the 64th to the 140th statewide ranking. While the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were previously higher than the district and state averages, they have since fallen below, with only 43.16% and 36.69% of students meeting proficiency in 2024-2025, respectively.
Lead-Deadwood Middle School - 02 has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at 29.86%, indicating a population with lower socioeconomic status. The school's operational metrics, such as a low student-teacher ratio of 9.3 to 1 and high per-student spending of $18,116, suggest that the district is allocating significant resources to the school. However, these resources do not appear to be translating into improved student outcomes, as the school's performance on standardized tests and its statewide ranking continue to decline.
Another area of concern is the school's chronic absenteeism rate, which reached 20.2% in 2024-2025. This high rate of chronic absenteeism could be a contributing factor to the school's academic struggles and warrants further investigation. Overall, the data suggests that Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1 may need to implement targeted interventions and support to address the challenges faced by Lead-Deadwood Middle School - 02 and improve student outcomes.
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