Elementary Schools in Dakota Valley School District 61-8

Summary:

The Dakota Valley School District 61-8 in South Dakota is home to two strong-performing elementary schools: Dakota Valley Elementary - 02 and Dakota Valley Upper Elementary - 04. Both schools have consistently ranked in the top half of South Dakota elementary schools, with Dakota Valley Elementary - 02 ranking 58 out of 206 in 2015-2016 and Dakota Valley Upper Elementary - 04 ranking 62 out of 201 in 2023-2024.

Academically, the schools have demonstrated strong performance on the Smarter Balanced Assessments, with higher proficiency rates than the state average in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. In 2024-2025, Dakota Valley Elementary - 02 had 48.89% proficiency in 3rd grade ELA and 54.45% in 3rd grade Math, compared to the state averages of 44.38% and 51.08%, respectively. Dakota Valley Upper Elementary - 04 had 58.25% proficiency in All Grades ELA and 44.5% in All Grades Math, compared to the state averages of 50.93% and 43.49%, respectively.

While both schools have slightly higher chronic absenteeism rates than the desired target, they maintain relatively low free and reduced lunch rates, with Dakota Valley Elementary - 02 at 17.37% and Dakota Valley Upper Elementary - 04 at 18.45% in 2023-2024. The higher spending per student and lower student-teacher ratio at Dakota Valley Elementary - 02 may contribute to its slightly stronger academic performance compared to Dakota Valley Upper Elementary - 04. Overall, the elementary schools within the Dakota Valley School District 61-8 are providing a high-quality education to their students.

District Detail

1150 Northshore Dr
North Sioux City, SD 57049

(605) 422-3800

SchoolDigger Rank:
23^rd of 147 South Dakota districts

See the 2025 South Dakota District rankings!

Grades served: K-12
Students: 1,341

Primary Schools: 2
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
Dakota Valley Elementary - 02	Public	K-3	80 Northshore Dr	North Sioux City	57049	Union County	Dakota Valley School District 61-8	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 422-3840	386	30	12.9	15.8%	284 (73.6%)	6 (1.6%)	44 (11.4%)	16 (4.1%)	10 (2.6%)	5 (1.3%)	21 (5.4%)								(n/a)	48.9				54.5					$12,663	$797	$11,866
Dakota Valley Upper Elementary - 04	Public	4-5	1150 Northshore Dr	North Sioux City	57049	Union County	Dakota Valley School District 61-8	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 422-3830	179	13	13.9	16.2%	127 (70.9%)	4 (2.2%)	27 (15.1%)	4 (2.2%)	6 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.1%)	63.7	113^th of 300 public elementary schools	62.3%		65.4	62^nd of 201 public elementary schools	69.2%	51		54.7	61.5	58.3		50.0	39.6	44.5	45.8	$11,721	$568	$11,153

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Elk Point-Jefferson School District 61-7	12.47 mi	3	34^th
Vermillion School District 13-1	25.38 mi	3	49^th
Alcester-Hudson School District 61-1	33.37 mi	4	60^th
Beresford School District 61-2	38.68 mi	3	83^rd
Gayville-Volin School District 63-1	40.67 mi	3	115^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.