Upland Colony Elementary - 05

Upland Colony Elementary - 05 is a small public elementary school located in Artesian, South Dakota, serving grades K-8 with an enrollment of 40 students. The school is part of the Sanborn Central School District 55-5, which is ranked 44 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Upland Colony Elementary - 05 has mixed performance on the Smarter Balanced Assessments compared to the district and state averages. In 2024-2025, the school had 56.52% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 57.52% for the district and 50.93% for the state. However, in Mathematics, the school had only 30.44% proficient or better, compared to 44.24% for the district and 43.49% for the state. The school's performance varies significantly by grade level, with some grades performing very well and others struggling. Additionally, Upland Colony Elementary - 05 has a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 20.2% to 2.3% over the past few years, which is higher than the state average.

Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending, ranging from $13,991 to $12,635 over the past few years, and low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13 to 11.4, the inconsistent academic performance and high chronic absenteeism rates suggest the need for a closer examination of instructional practices, curriculum alignment, and targeted interventions to address the specific needs of students at each grade level. Additionally, the school's performance differences between male and female students indicate the need for a more equitable approach to instruction and support.