Elementary Schools in Pierre School District 32-2

Summary:

The Pierre School District 32-2 in South Dakota is home to three elementary schools: Buchanan Elementary - 03, Kennedy Elementary - 08, and Jefferson Elementary - 06. Based on the available data, Buchanan Elementary - 03 stands out as the top-performing school in the district, consistently ranking among the best elementary schools in the state and outperforming the district and state averages on standardized tests.

Buchanan Elementary - 03 has demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, with students scoring significantly higher than their peers in the district and across South Dakota in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. In the 2024-2025 school year, 63.77% of Buchanan Elementary - 03 students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 58.43% for the district and 50.93% for the state. Similarly, 58.67% of Buchanan Elementary - 03 students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 49.93% for the district and 43.49% for the state.

While the per-student spending is relatively consistent across the three schools, Buchanan Elementary - 03 has the lowest percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients and the lowest student-teacher ratio, which may contribute to its strong academic performance. The district may want to investigate the factors behind Buchanan Elementary - 03's success and consider ways to replicate those practices in the other elementary schools to ensure all students in the Pierre School District 32-2 have access to a high-quality education.

District Detail

211 S Poplar Ave
Pierre, SD 57501

(605) 773-7300

SchoolDigger Rank:
32^nd of 147 South Dakota districts

See the 2025 South Dakota District rankings!

Grades served: K-12
Students: 2,749

Primary Schools: 3
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
Buchanan Elementary - 03	Public	K-5	100 N Buchanan Ave	Pierre	57501	Hughes County	Pierre School District 32-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 773-7310	432	26	16.6	36.6%	270 (62.5%)	4 (0.9%)	23 (5.3%)	11 (2.5%)	60 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (14.8%)	75.1	50^th of 300 public elementary schools	83.3%		75.3	38^th of 201 public elementary schools	81.1%	12	42.4	76.1	73.0	63.8	62.1	56.7	57.2	58.7	69.8	$11,597	$863	$10,734
Jefferson Elementary - 06	Public	K-5	900 N Poplar Ave	Pierre	57501	Hughes County	Pierre School District 32-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 773-7320	377	28	13.4	35.5%	240 (63.7%)	2 (0.5%)	24 (6.4%)	2 (0.5%)	64 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (11.9%)	61.2	119^th of 300 public elementary schools	60.3%		57.9	86^th of 201 public elementary schools	57.2%	33	48.4	51.6	60.0	53.0	53.2	42.2	49.1	48.1	50.9	$11,750	$956	$10,794
Kennedy Elementary - 08	Public	K-5	2306 Brookstone Loop	Pierre	57501	Hughes County	Pierre School District 32-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 773-7370	413	26	15.8	41.4%	254 (61.5%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.8%)	2 (0.5%)	83 (20.1%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (12.8%)	69.3	90^th of 300 public elementary schools	70.0%		64.9	63^rd of 201 public elementary schools	68.7%	27	45.2	58.1	67.2	57.0	58.1	62.2	56.3	59.0	46.9	$11,670	$916	$10,754

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Pierre Indian Learning Center	0.95 mi	1
Stanley County School District 57-1	2.66 mi	4	85^th
Agar-Blunt-Onida School District 58-3	26.66 mi	3	20^th
Lyman School District 42-1	33.91 mi	3	87^th
Jones County School District 37-3	38.13 mi	3	28^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.