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
127th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools
Better than 58% of South Dakota elementary schools
Summary

Buffalo Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school in Buffalo, South Dakota, serving 101 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Harding County School District 31-1, which is ranked 22 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Over the years, Buffalo Elementary - 02 has shown a mixed academic performance, with its statewide ranking ranging from 26th to 149th out of around 200-300 South Dakota elementary schools. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school ranked 127th out of 300 elementary schools in the state, with a 3-star rating. Compared to the Harding County School District and the state, the school has generally performed on par or slightly below in terms of the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

The school's performance varies across different student subgroups. It ranks particularly strong for special education students, but relatively weaker for white students and low socioeconomic status students. Additionally, the school has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 3.7% in 2022-2023 to 20.2% in 2024-2025, which may be impacting its academic performance. The school's per-student spending has increased over the years, and the student-teacher ratio has fluctuated between 9.4 and 10.9 students per teacher.

101
Students ?
10.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,820
Per pupil spending ?
25.7%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 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: Improving — 28th percentile in 2010 → 58th in 2025
Strengths
✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2010
✓Above the South Dakota median (58th percentile)
✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school51%
District avg57%
South Dakota avg47%
127th of 300
South Dakota public elementary schools ?
Top 42%▲ up 28 pts since 2017
From bottom 29% (2017) to top 42% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
22nd of 147Harding 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
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
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
202559.5118 of 29259.6%★★★☆☆

Special Education

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

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
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 (2025)60th percentile~ school
Female (2025)56th percentile~ school
White (2025)46th percentile-12 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile-14 vs school
By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?
Science56%+15 vs state
Mathematics51%+8 vs state
English Language Arts51%~ 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








Frequently Asked Questions about Buffalo Elementary - 02

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

Buffalo Elementary - 02 ranks 127th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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.


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!




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

None retrieved from Database in 18 milliseconds.