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Bison Elementary - 02

Public Grades K-6
199th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools
Better than 34% of South Dakota elementary schools
Summary

Bison Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school in Bison, South Dakota, serving 71 students in grades K-6 and part of the Bison School District 52-1. While the school has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the years, dropping from 6th out of 205 elementary schools in 2010-2011 to 199th out of 300 in 2024-2025, its performance has been inconsistent, with a 3-star rating in 2021-2022, followed by a 1-star rating in 2023-2024, and a 2-star rating in 2024-2025.

The school's academic performance has been a concern, with students consistently underperforming the state and district averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's ELA proficiency rate for all grades was 39.13%, compared to the district's 52% and the state's 50.93%. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rate for all grades was 32.61%, compared to the district's 32% and the state's 43.49%. Additionally, the school has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 4.4% to 20.8% over the past few years.

Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending, ranging from $16,335 to $18,031 over the past few years, and low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 6.8 to 7.6 students per teacher, the academic performance data suggests that these resources may not be translating into improved student outcomes. The school's leadership and the Bison School District 52-1 may need to closely examine the school's strategies and interventions to address the unique needs of its student population and improve overall academic achievement.

65
Students ?
7.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$17,480
Per pupil spending ?
27.7%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 200 E Carr St
       Bison, SD  57620

(605) 244-5271

District: Bison School District 52-1


Students who attend Bison Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:    Bison Junior High - 04
High:    Bison High School - 01
Racial breakdown:

White:
89.2%
Hispanic:
6.2%
American Indian:
4.6%
 See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

 Compare Bison Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 97th percentile in 2011 → 34th in 2025
Strengths
✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the South Dakota average (36% vs 47% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 63 percentile points since 2011
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school36%
District avg42%
South Dakota avg47%
199th of 300
South Dakota public elementary schools ?
Bottom 34%▲ up 8 pts since 2015
From bottom 26% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
80th of 147Bison School District 52-1 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
202540.2199 of 30033.7%★★☆☆☆
202426.6160 of 20120.4%★☆☆☆☆
202256.387 of 20256.9%★★★☆☆
202145.7120 of 20240.6%★★☆☆☆
201929.0165 of 20619.9%★☆☆☆☆
201832.3156 of 20423.5%★☆☆☆☆
201737.1149 of 20728.0%★☆☆☆☆
201632.9159 of 20622.8%★☆☆☆☆
201538.0155 of 20925.8%★☆☆☆☆
201183.86 of 20597.1%★★★★★
201083.19 of 20695.6%★★★★★
200973.534 of 19682.7%★★★★☆
200877.014 of 19492.8%★★★★★
200767.060 of 19469.1%★★★★☆
200667.165 of 19767.0%★★★☆☆
200559.096 of 19450.5%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202524.9239 of 29117.9%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202542.087 of 16346.6%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202522.2219 of 2377.6%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202556.2134 of 29254.1%★★★☆☆
201822.6145 of 17014.7%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202556.578 of 24868.5%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202533.0220 of 28723.3%★☆☆☆☆
202426.5150 of 18418.5%★☆☆☆☆
202247.0102 of 18444.6%★★☆☆☆
202138.5124 of 18533.0%★★☆☆☆
201925.5164 of 19114.1%★☆☆☆☆
201819.9164 of 18611.8%★☆☆☆☆
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)69th percentile+35 vs school
Male (2025)54th percentile+20 vs school
Hispanic (2025)47th percentile+13 vs school
White (2025)23rd percentile-10 vs school
Female (2025)18th percentile-16 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile-26 vs school
By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts39%-12 vs state
Science38%-3 vs state
Mathematics33%-11 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Bison Elementary - 02

Bison Elementary - 02 ranks 199th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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

Middle : Bison Junior High - 04
High : Bison High School - 01

In the 2024-25 school year, 65 students attended Bison Elementary - 02.

Students at Bison Elementary - 02 are 89% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% American Indian.


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Schools in Bison, SD

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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.




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