1. Home
  2. South Dakota
  3. Buffalo
  4. Harding County School District 31-1
  5. Buffalo Elementary - 02
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Buffalo Elementary - 02

Public Grades K-5
121st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 203 South Dakota Elementary Schools
Better than 40% of South Dakota elementary schools
Summary

Buffalo Elementary - 02 serves 101 students in grades K–5 in Buffalo, South Dakota; there are no other schools within 20 miles. Its latest all-grades results are close to state results, but they hide a pronounced weakness in fourth grade. In 2025–2026, fourth-grade ELA proficiency was 32%, compared with 48% statewide, and math proficiency was 21%, compared with 49% statewide. Those results were 16 and 28 percentage points below the state, respectively—the clearest concern for families to ask the school about.

Compared with the state, the school was slightly stronger in ELA and slightly weaker in math overall; compared with its district, the pattern was reversed. In 2025–2026, all-grades ELA was 52% at the school, 49% statewide and 52% in Harding County School District 31-1. Math was 43% at the school, 44% statewide and 36% in the district. Results varied considerably by grade: fifth-grade ELA was 67% versus 51% statewide, and fifth-grade math was 56% versus 43%; third-grade ELA was also higher than the state, at 59% versus 43%. No nearby-school scores were supplied, so these results cannot be compared with neighboring schools.

ELA has improved over time, while math has fluctuated and recently fallen back: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, ELA rose 13 percentage points, moving from 11 points below the state to 3 points above it. Math rose by just 1 point between those years, after reaching 53% in 2023–2024 and then falling to 43%. SchoolDigger ranked the school 121st of 203 statewide in 2025–2026, at the 40th percentile and 2 stars; its overall percentile had fallen 18 points from the prior year. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness measure for White Students also dropped, from the 46th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 26th in 2025–2026, a sharper decline of 20 points. The student-teacher ratio was 10.3 in 2024–2025, and 26% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that school year. Grade-level results are snapshots, and small cohorts may affect how they vary from year to year.

101
Students ?
10.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,820
Per pupil spending ?
25.7%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
63.2%
Kindergartners immunized against measles (MMR) (2025-26)
Exemptions: 21.1% (any vaccine)
 12474 Tipperary St
       Buffalo, SD  57720

(605) 375-3241

District: Harding County School District 31-1


Students who attend Buffalo Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:    Harding County Middle School - 03
High:    Harding County High School - 01
Racial breakdown:

White:
95.0%
Two or more races:
3.0%
Hispanic:
1.0%
more
 See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

 Compare Buffalo Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 39th percentile in 2011 → 40th in 2026
Strengths
✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school46%
District avg44%
South Dakota avg46%
121st of 203
South Dakota public elementary schools ?
Bottom 40%▲ up 11 pts since 2017
From bottom 29% (2017) to bottom 40% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
82nd of 126Harding County School District 31-1 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
202647.6121 of 20340.4%★★☆☆☆
202559.6127 of 30057.7%★★★☆☆
202453.1102 of 20149.3%★★☆☆☆
202337.6135 of 20433.8%★★☆☆☆
202260.279 of 20260.9%★★★☆☆
202168.954 of 20273.3%★★★★☆
201981.226 of 20687.4%★★★★☆
201838.5138 of 20432.4%★★☆☆☆
201737.8146 of 20729.5%★★☆☆☆
201151.4125 of 20539.0%★★☆☆☆
201041.6149 of 20627.7%★☆☆☆☆
200862.383 of 19457.2%★★★☆☆
200764.868 of 19464.9%★★★☆☆
200670.049 of 19775.1%★★★★☆
200550.8125 of 19435.6%★★☆☆☆
200439.8140 of 18925.9%★☆☆☆☆
200332.6155 of 18717.1%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202647.882 of 16650.6%★★★☆☆
202556.4128 of 29156.0%★★★☆☆
202447.194 of 16543.0%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202544.7133 of 23743.9%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202655.276 of 16152.8%★★★☆☆
202559.5118 of 29259.6%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202558.372 of 24871.0%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202637.0137 of 18425.5%★☆☆☆☆
202551.9155 of 28746.0%★★☆☆☆
202439.2124 of 18432.6%★★☆☆☆
202327.2147 of 18520.5%★☆☆☆☆
202251.787 of 18452.7%★★★☆☆
202160.269 of 18562.7%★★★☆☆
201976.229 of 19184.8%★★★★☆
201826.6152 of 18618.3%★☆☆☆☆
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)71st percentile+13 vs school
Male (2026)53rd percentile+12 vs school
Female (2026)51st percentile+10 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile-14 vs school
White (2026)26th percentile-15 vs school
By subject vs South Dakota (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts52%+3 vs state
Mathematics43%~ state avg
Science39%~ state avg

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Buffalo Elementary - 02 and help other families decide.
Rate Buffalo 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 Buffalo Elementary - 02

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





Frequently Asked Questions about Buffalo Elementary - 02

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

Middle : Harding County Middle School - 03
High : Harding County High School - 01

In the 2024-25 school year, 101 students attended Buffalo Elementary - 02.

Buffalo Elementary - 02 ranks 121st of 203 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Buffalo Elementary - 02 are 95% White, 3% Two or more races.

Rate Buffalo Elementary - 02!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

SDSouth Dakota Elementary School Rankings

SDSouth Dakota District Rankings

Schools in Buffalo, SD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Buffalo 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 ratesOct 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