Elementary Schools in White River School District 47-1

The White River School District 47-1 in South Dakota is home to two elementary schools: White River Elementary - 02 and Norris Elementary - 08. Both schools are struggling, with consistently low performance on standardized tests and high rates of chronic absenteeism.

Across both schools, proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly below the state average. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the proficiency rate in ELA for all grades at White River Elementary - 02 was just 22.73%, compared to the state average of 50.93%. Norris Elementary - 08 had an even lower proficiency rate of 9.52% in ELA. This performance gap is consistent across different grade levels and subject areas.

Additionally, both schools have high rates of chronic absenteeism, with 20.2% of students chronically absent in the 2024-2025 school year. Despite the district's significant investment in these schools, spending $16,435 per student at White River Elementary - 02 and $18,124 per student at Norris Elementary - 08, the academic outcomes remain poor. The district's focus should be on addressing the underlying causes of the low performance and high absenteeism to improve educational outcomes for the students in the White River School District 47-1.