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Howard Elementary - 02

Q: Is Howard Elementary - 02 a good school?

Howard Elementary - 02 ranks 31 st of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

31^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 90% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Howard Elementary - 02 is a high-performing public elementary school serving grades K-5 in the Howard School District 48-3 in Howard, South Dakota. With 131 students and a student-teacher ratio of 11.6, the school has consistently ranked among the top elementary schools in the state, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking 31st out of 300 schools.

Howard Elementary - 02 excels academically, with students consistently outperforming the state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. In the 2024-2025 school year, 63.27% of students were proficient or better in ELA, and 79.59% were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 50.93% and 43.49%, respectively. The school also stands out for its exceptional performance in specific student groups, ranking 9th out of 291 SD elementary schools for female students and 6th out of 248 for special education students.

While Howard Elementary - 02 is a high-performing school, the nearby Graceville Colony - 07 and Shannon Colony Elementary - 08 schools within the Chester Area School District 39-1 show significantly lower academic performance, with lower proficiency rates and lower overall rankings. This highlights the disparity in educational outcomes within the region, despite Howard Elementary - 02's strong and stable educational program.

158

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,225

Per pupil spending ?

16.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

201 N Minnie St
Howard, SD 57349

(605) 772-4443

District: Howard School District 48-3

Students who attend Howard Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	Howard Junior High - 05
High:	Howard High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.6%

American Indian:

1.9%

African American:

1.3%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Howard Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 84th percentile in 2015 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (69% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of South Dakota elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg68%

South Dakota avg47%

31^st of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 16% (2015) to top 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Howard School District 48-3

10^th of 147Howard School District 48-3 among South Dakota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	80.1	31 of 300	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	79.3	28 of 201	86.1%	★★★★☆
2023	77.7	32 of 204	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.0	64 of 202	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.1	100 of 202	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.8	91 of 206	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.2	61 of 204	70.1%	★★★★☆
2017	62.1	78 of 207	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.1	68 of 206	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	76.3	34 of 209	83.7%	★★★★☆
2013	78.2	22 of 201	89.1%	★★★★☆
2012	73.7	39 of 214	81.8%	★★★★☆
2011	73.6	38 of 205	81.5%	★★★★☆
2010	60.9	96 of 206	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.5	97 of 196	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.7	84 of 194	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	52.4	126 of 194	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	63.4	80 of 197	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	70.4	43 of 194	77.8%	★★★★☆
2004	75.4	22 of 189	88.4%	★★★★☆
2003	73.4	32 of 187	82.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	89.0	9 of 291	96.9%	★★★★★
2022	88.8	10 of 150	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	67.7	44 of 151	70.9%	★★★★☆
2019	58.3	65 of 155	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.8	87 of 163	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	76.4	28 of 237	88.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	66.6	84 of 292	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	68.8	43 of 161	73.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.3	55 of 166	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.1	102 of 154	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.2	101 of 157	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.7	68 of 160	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.2	29 of 170	82.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	88.9	6 of 248	97.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	74.8	42 of 287	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.8	25 of 184	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	75.2	36 of 185	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	63.9	59 of 184	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.8	103 of 185	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.2	119 of 191	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.1	86 of 186	53.8%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2025)98th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)97th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)88th percentile~ school

White (2025)85th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)71st percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics80%+36 vs state

English Language Arts63%+12 vs state

Science50%+9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Howard Elementary - 02

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 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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Howard Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	201 N Minnie St	Howard	57349	Miner County	Howard School District 48-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 772-4443	158	12	13.0	16.5%	151 (95.6%)	2 (1.3%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	80.1	31^st of 300 public elementary schools	89.7%		79.3	28^th of 201 public elementary schools	86.1%	3	77.8	47.1	64.3				63.3	88.9	64.7	85.7				79.6	50.0			$14,225	$1,182	$13,042
Shannon Colony Elementary - 08	Public	K-8	43945 235th St.	Winfred	57076	Miner County	Howard School District 48-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 772-4443	27	2	11.9		27 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66.4	99^th of 300 public elementary schools	67.0%					(n/a)	40.0		50.0	66.7	50.0	66.7	52.9	80.0		50.0	100.0	25.0	100.0	70.6	0.0	66.7	40.0	$13,770	$426	$13,344
Graceville Colony - 07	Public	K-8	23843 - 446A Ave	Winfred	57076	Lake County	Chester Area School District 39-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 256-2267	23	2	11.5		23 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.6	272^nd of 300 public elementary schools	9.3%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	100.0	18.2	0.0	0.0	50.0		0.0	50.0	18.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	$12,045	$417	$11,628

Frequently Asked Questions about Howard Elementary - 02

How many students attend Howard Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 158 students attended Howard Elementary - 02.

What schools do graduates of Howard Elementary - 02 attend?

Students who attend Howard Elementary - 02 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Howard Junior High - 05
High : Howard High School - 01

What is the racial makeup of Howard Elementary - 02?

Students at Howard Elementary - 02 are 96% White, 2% American Indian, 1% African American, 1% Hispanic.

Is Howard Elementary - 02 a good school?

Howard Elementary - 02 ranks 31^st of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Howard Elementary - 02 in?

Howard School District 48-3

Rate Howard Elementary - 02!

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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.