1. Home
  2. South Dakota
  3. Howard
  4. Howard School District 48-3
  5. Howard Elementary - 02
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Howard Elementary - 02

Public Grades PK, KG-5
47th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 203 South Dakota Elementary Schools
Better than 77% of South Dakota elementary schools
Summary

Howard Elementary - 02 serves 158 students in prekindergarten through Grade 5 in Howard, South Dakota, within Howard School District 48-3. Its latest results show a clear subject-by-subject split: math is a standout, while English Language Arts (ELA) is the main area to watch. The most important finding is that math proficiency is far above the state, but ELA, though above the state, falls below the district.

In 2025–2026, 67% of students were proficient in math, compared with 44% statewide and 65% in the district; 53% were proficient in ELA, versus 49% statewide and 58% in the district. Grade 5 science was another strength: 58% were proficient, 17 percentage points above the state and level with the district. Compared with nearby Shannon Colony Elementary - 08, Howard was ahead in all-grades ELA (53% versus 50%) and essentially tied in math. Howard also enrolls about six times as many students as Shannon and Gracevale Colony Elementary - 07. These all-grades comparisons are limited because the nearby schools serve K–8, and some of their results are unavailable.

ELA has declined: proficiency fell from 68% in 2022–2023 to 53% in 2025–2026, while the school’s advantage over the state narrowed from 19 points to 4. Grade 5 is a particular ELA concern: its 47% proficiency was below the state, although all three tested grades exceeded the state in math. Grade 5 science, by contrast, rose from 48% to 58% over the same period. SchoolDigger ranked Howard at the 77th percentile with 4 stars in 2025–2026, down from the 90th percentile with 4 stars the year before. Its student-teacher ratio was 13 in 2024–2025, compared with an average of 11.7 at the nearby schools; 17% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. In SchoolDigger’s group rankings, the ranking for female students climbed from the 71st percentile in 2020–2021 to the 97th in 2024–2025, while the 2025–2026 ranking for male students was at the 61st percentile, below the school’s overall 77th.

158
Students ?
13.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$14,225
Per pupil spending ?
16.5%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
100%
Kindergartners immunized against measles (MMR) (2025-26)
Exemptions: 4% (any vaccine)
 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%
more
 See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

 Compare Howard Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 90th percentile in 2025 → 77th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (60% vs 46% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 23% of South Dakota elementary schools
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped from its 90th-percentile peak (2025) to 77th (2026)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school60%
District avg61%
South Dakota avg46%
47th of 203
South Dakota public elementary schools ?
Top 23%▲ up 10 pts since 2016
From top 33% (2016) to top 23% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
8th of 126Howard 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202670.447 of 20376.8%★★★★☆
202580.131 of 30089.7%★★★★☆
202479.328 of 20186.1%★★★★☆
202377.732 of 20484.3%★★★★☆
202264.064 of 20268.3%★★★☆☆
202153.1100 of 20250.5%★★★☆☆
201954.891 of 20655.8%★★★☆☆
201867.261 of 20470.1%★★★★☆
201762.178 of 20762.3%★★★☆☆
201664.168 of 20667.0%★★★☆☆
201576.334 of 20983.7%★★★★☆
201378.222 of 20189.1%★★★★☆
201273.739 of 21481.8%★★★★☆
201173.638 of 20581.5%★★★★☆
201060.996 of 20653.4%★★★☆☆
200957.597 of 19650.5%★★★☆☆
200861.784 of 19456.7%★★★☆☆
200752.4126 of 19435.1%★★☆☆☆
200663.480 of 19759.4%★★★☆☆
200570.443 of 19477.8%★★★★☆
200475.422 of 18988.4%★★★★☆
200373.432 of 18782.9%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202589.09 of 29196.9%★★★★★
202288.810 of 15093.3%★★★★★
202167.744 of 15170.9%★★★★☆
201958.365 of 15558.1%★★★☆☆
201853.887 of 16346.6%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202576.428 of 23788.2%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202659.762 of 16161.5%★★★☆☆
202566.684 of 29271.2%★★★★☆
202468.843 of 16173.3%★★★★☆
202365.355 of 16666.9%★★★☆☆
202237.1102 of 15433.8%★★☆☆☆
202141.2101 of 15735.7%★★☆☆☆
201955.768 of 16057.5%★★★☆☆
201876.229 of 17082.9%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202588.96 of 24897.6%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202665.154 of 18470.7%★★★★☆
202574.842 of 28785.4%★★★★☆
202478.825 of 18486.4%★★★★☆
202375.236 of 18580.5%★★★★☆
202263.959 of 18467.9%★★★☆☆
202147.8103 of 18544.3%★★☆☆☆
201944.2119 of 19137.7%★★☆☆☆
201855.186 of 18653.8%★★★☆☆
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 (2026)71st percentile-6 vs school
Male (2026)61st percentile-15 vs school
By subject vs South Dakota (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics67%+23 vs state
Science58%+17 vs state
English Language Arts53%+4 vs state

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Howard Elementary - 02 and help other families decide.
Rate Howard Elementary - 02
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.


Schools Near Howard Elementary - 02

Sort
Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private





Frequently Asked Questions about Howard Elementary - 02

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

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

Howard Elementary - 02 ranks 47th of 203 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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

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

Rate Howard Elementary - 02!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

SDSouth Dakota Elementary School Rankings

SDSouth Dakota District Rankings

Schools in Howard, SD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Howard Elementary - 02!


Latest South Dakota data All new data »
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewNov 6, 2026
2025–26 SD ACT & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewNov 6, 2026
2024–25 attendance data & graduation rates (updated)NewNov 1, 2026
2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 24, 2026


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.

Diagnostics