Elementary Schools in De Smet School District 38-2

Summary:

The De Smet School District 38-2 in South Dakota is home to one exceptional elementary school, Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02, which serves grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 178 students. This standout school has consistently demonstrated impressive academic performance, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking among the top elementary schools in the state.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 has consistently outperformed state and district averages on Smarter Balanced Assessments, with proficiency rates of 60.28% in English Language Arts and 63.02% in Mathematics during the 2024-2025 school year. The school's performance is particularly noteworthy in individual grade levels, with 3rd-grade students achieving 80% proficiency in both ELA and Math. Additionally, the school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate of 45% is higher than the state average.

The school's success can be attributed to several factors, including a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 16.6 and higher-than-average spending per student at $12,225 for the 2023-2024 school year. Furthermore, the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2% in the 2024-2025 school year is lower than the state average, indicating a high level of student engagement and attendance. Overall, Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 stands out as an exceptional educational institution within the De Smet School District 38-2, consistently delivering high-quality education and outperforming state and district averages.

District Detail

405 SW 3rd Street SW
De Smet, SD 57231

(605) 854-3963

SchoolDigger Rank:
55^th of 147 South Dakota districts

See the 2025 South Dakota District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 362

Primary Schools: 1
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

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
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	405 Ingalls Ave SW	De Smet	57231	Kingsbury County	De Smet School District 38-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 854-3963	176	12	14.2	29.0%	152 (86.4%)	1 (0.6%)	8 (4.5%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.3%)	70.6	77^th of 300 public elementary schools	74.3%		62.7	70^th of 201 public elementary schools	65.2%	7	80.0	53.6	45.0	60.3	84.0	57.2	45.0	63.0	45.0	$13,884	$681	$13,203

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Lake Preston School District 38-3	9.22 mi	3	4^th
Willow Lake School District 12-3	13.27 mi	7	131^st
Iroquois School District 02-3	14.66 mi	4	133^rd
Arlington School District 38-1	20.81 mi	4	5^th
Oldham-Ramona-Rutland School District 39-6	21.74 mi	6	139^th

See the top SD South Dakota districts

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.