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Harding County High School - 01

Public Grades 9-12
61st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 130 South Dakota High Schools
Better than 53% of South Dakota high schools
Summary

Harding County High School - 01 serves 66 students in grades 9–12 in Buffalo, a remote area with no other schools within 20 miles. Its clearest standout is graduation: in 2025–2026, 100% of students graduated, compared with 88% statewide, a 12-point advantage; the dropout rate was 0%, versus 2% statewide.

On the latest 11th-grade results, ELA and science were above state levels, while math was below: the school had 56% proficiency in ELA, 28% in math and 50% in science, compared with 48%, 34% and 45% statewide. That means it led the state by 7 points in ELA and 5 in science, but trailed by 6 in math. The Harding County School District 31-1 results exactly matched the school’s in each subject; no nearby-school scores were available, and the supplied test results cover 11th grade only.

Earlier 11th-grade Smarter Balanced results show improvement in ELA and math from 2022–2023 to 2024–2025: ELA rose from 75% to 85%, and math from 42% to 54%; science fell from 75% to 62%. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking also shifted sharply, from 29th percentile in 2023–2024 to 92nd percentile and 5 stars in 2024–2025, then to 53rd percentile and 3 stars in 2025–2026 (rank 61 of 130). Its Female Students ranking is a notable change in how well the school serves that group: the percentile rose from 46 in 2024–2025 to 88 in 2025–2026, while the overall percentile fell from 92 to 53; this is a relative school measure, not individual student progress. The student-teacher ratio was 9.5 in 2024–2025, and 23% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year.

66
Students ?
9.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$18,767
Per pupil spending ?
22.7%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
 12474 Tipperary St
       Buffalo, SD  57720

(605) 375-3241

District: Harding County School District 31-1

Racial breakdown:

White:
98.5%
Two or more races:
1.5%
 See top rated South Dakota high schools

 Compare Harding County High School - 01 to nearby high schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 65th percentile in 2016 → 53rd in 2026
Strengths
✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the South Dakota average (88%)
✓Above the South Dakota median (53rd percentile)
✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school44%
District avg44%
South Dakota avg42%
61st of 130
South Dakota public high schools ?
Top 47%▼ down 11 pts since 2016
From top 35% (2016) to top 47% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Dakota High 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
202652.661 of 13053.1%★★★☆☆
202585.014 of 16691.6%★★★★★
202433.1100 of 14129.1%★☆☆☆☆
202377.023 of 13883.3%★★★★☆
202280.222 of 13483.6%★★★★☆
202171.626 of 14081.4%★★★★☆
201960.251 of 13562.2%★★★☆☆
201878.917 of 13887.7%★★★★☆
201779.219 of 13786.1%★★★★☆
201662.450 of 14164.5%★★★☆☆
201580.022 of 13383.5%★★★★☆
201374.233 of 14477.1%★★★★☆
201271.741 of 14371.3%★★★★☆
201155.570 of 14150.4%★★★☆☆
201076.424 of 15084.0%★★★★☆
200978.526 of 14481.9%★★★★☆
200884.212 of 13591.1%★★★★★
200797.11 of 14199.3%★★★★★
200655.965 of 13652.2%★★★☆☆
200594.71 of 13799.3%★★★★★
200479.519 of 13285.6%★★★★☆
200334.0105 of 13321.1%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202679.212 of 9687.5%★★★★☆
202553.589 of 16445.7%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202585.58 of 15494.8%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202594.04 of 16297.5%★★★★★
201949.848 of 8845.5%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202579.67 of 14095.0%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Dakota percentileRating
202649.462 of 12148.8%★★☆☆☆
202579.820 of 15887.3%★★★★☆
202424.8102 of 12518.4%★☆☆☆☆
202370.626 of 12178.5%★★★★☆
202279.819 of 12384.6%★★★★☆
202165.538 of 12970.5%★★★★☆
201961.743 of 12365.0%★★★☆☆
201873.320 of 12383.7%★★★★☆
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)
Male (2025)98th percentile+6 vs school
Special Education (2025)95th percentile+3 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2026)88th percentile+34 vs school
White (2026)49th percentile-4 vs school
By subject vs South Dakota (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts56%+7 vs state
Science50%+5 vs state
Mathematics28%-6 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Harding County High School - 01

In the 2024-25 school year, 66 students attended Harding County High School - 01.

Harding County High School - 01 ranks 61st of 130 South Dakota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Harding County High School - 01 are 98% White, 2% Two or more races.

Harding County High School - 01 is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Buffalo Elementary - 02
Middle : Harding County Middle School - 03

Rate Harding County High School - 01!



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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.

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