Best Public Schools in Wolsey, SD

Summary:

The city of Wolsey, South Dakota is home to three schools serving students from elementary through high school: Wolsey Wessington Elementary - 02, Wolsey Wessington High School - 01, and Wolsey Wessington Middle School - 03. These schools are part of the Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6.

Among the three schools, Wolsey Wessington High School - 01 stands out for its significant improvement in statewide ranking, moving from 133rd out of 138 South Dakota high schools in 2022-2023 to 40th out of 166 in 2024-2025 and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The high school also boasts a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 86.4% and a low dropout rate of 2.6% for the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, its 11th-grade students outperform the district and state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

In contrast, Wolsey Wessington Elementary - 02 and Wolsey Wessington Middle School - 03 face more significant challenges, with lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to state averages. These schools also have high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.2% at both the elementary and middle school levels. The district as a whole serves a population with relatively high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, which may contribute to the academic performance challenges observed in some of the schools.

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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 11th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Wolsey Wessington Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	375 Ash St SE	Wolsey	57384	Beadle County	Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 883-4221	75	6	13.1	32.0%	68 (90.7%)	1 (1.3%)	5 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	34	177^th of 246 public middle schools	28.0%		31.7	108^th of 147 public middle schools	26.5%	69				34.8	37.0	36.0		36.0				26.1	22.2	24.0		24.0		28.0		$15,876	$1,045	$14,831
Wolsey Wessington Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	375 Ash St SE	Wolsey	57384	Beadle County	Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 883-4221	145	11	12.7	29.0%	132 (91.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	32.9	222^nd of 300 public elementary schools	26.0%		33.5	146^th of 201 public elementary schools	27.4%	76	28.6	42.9	34.5					35.2	38.1	28.6	24.1					29.6	24.1			$16,334	$1,203	$15,132
Wolsey Wessington High School - 01	Public	9-12	375 Ash St SE	Wolsey	57384	Beadle County	Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 883-4221	96	8	11.3	40.6%	84 (87.5%)	1 (1.0%)	7 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.2%)	69.9	40^th of 166 public high schools	75.9%		43.7	82^nd of 141 public high schools	41.8%	42							61.9								57.2				52.4	$17,858	$1,618	$16,241

Cities Near Wolsey

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Huron	11.77 mi	11	177^th
Hitchcock	15.42 mi	1	41^st
Tulare	22.54 mi	2	151^st
Wessington Springs	23.27 mi	7	165^th
Frankfort	24.73 mi	3	18^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.