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Vandenberg Elementary - 02

Q: Is Vandenberg Elementary - 02 a good school?

Vandenberg Elementary - 02 ranks 154 th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 4-5

154^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Vandenberg Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school located in Box Elder, South Dakota, serving grades 4-5 with a total enrollment of 442 students. The school is part of the Douglas School District 51-1, which is ranked 104 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Vandenberg Elementary - 02 has consistently performed better than the district and the state in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 46.81% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 46.43% for the district and 50.93% for the state. In Mathematics, Vandenberg Elementary - 02 had 41.82% of students proficient or better, compared to 35.97% for the district and 43.49% for the state. The school has also shown strong performance for several student subgroups, including Hispanic students, Native American students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Vandenberg Elementary - 02 performs better academically than most of the nearby schools in the Rapid City Area School District 51-4, which are generally lower-performing. For example, Horace Mann Elementary - 07, which is 8.54 miles away, had significantly lower proficiency rates in both English Language Arts (18.7%) and Mathematics (11.38%) for the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, Vandenberg Elementary - 02 has a significant population of military-connected students and has performed exceptionally well in serving this subgroup, ranking 1st out of all South Dakota elementary schools for the 2023-2024 and 2022-2023 school years.

454

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,299

Per pupil spending ?

40.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

561 Briggs St
Box Elder, SD 57719

(605) 923-0060

District: Douglas School District 51-1

Students who attend Vandenberg Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	Douglas Middle School - 01
High:	Douglas High School - 03

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.8%

Two or more races:

12.6%

Hispanic:

9.9%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Vandenberg Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2015 → 49th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg41%

South Dakota avg47%

154^th of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

104^th of 147Douglas School District 51-1 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.3	154 of 300	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.1	98 of 201	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	99 of 204	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.5	120 of 202	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.6	113 of 202	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.1	107 of 206	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	151 of 204	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	45.9	125 of 207	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.0	119 of 206	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.5	158 of 209	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	46.9	136 of 201	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.1	147 of 214	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	49.4	131 of 205	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.8	124 of 206	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.9	130 of 196	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.1	94 of 194	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	48.1	136 of 194	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	54.5	122 of 197	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	63.9	77 of 194	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	38.4	145 of 189	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	42.1	140 of 187	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	48.7	33 of 81	59.3%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	39.9	38 of 58	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	49.0	160 of 291	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.7	86 of 165	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.8	77 of 154	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.8	85 of 150	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.4	82 of 151	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.3	67 of 155	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.2	116 of 163	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	60.6	12 of 61	80.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	54.5	53 of 163	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.6	4 of 22	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	59.5	5 of 21	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	65.7	3 of 18	83.3%	★★★★☆
2021	70.4	3 of 18	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	64.8	4 of 21	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	68.5	4 of 18	77.8%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	9 of 61	85.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	91 of 237	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.9	18 of 110	83.6%	★★★★☆
2023	46.8	57 of 112	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.5	49 of 80	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.1	74 of 106	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.4	47 of 121	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.7	79 of 121	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.6	148 of 292	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.0	69 of 161	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.7	73 of 166	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.0	87 of 154	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.5	87 of 157	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.0	89 of 160	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.3	122 of 170	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	35 of 58	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★
2023	68.1	1 of 2	50.0%	★★★★★
2022	84.1	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★
2019	68.5	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★
2018	45.5	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	59.0	56 of 165	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.3	2 of 12	83.3%	★★★★★
2023	92.9	1 of 12	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	80.8	1 of 7	85.7%	★★★★★
2021	80.0	3 of 14	78.6%	★★★★☆
2019	78.0	2 of 12	83.3%	★★★★★
2018	58.4	2 of 7	71.4%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	67 of 152	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.5	8 of 25	68.0%	★★★★☆
2023	64.2	4 of 25	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	86.0	2 of 23	91.3%	★★★★★
2021	57.5	7 of 21	66.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.2	186 of 248	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.9	43 of 72	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.0	55 of 72	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.9	38 of 61	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.2	45 of 62	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	160 of 287	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.2	93 of 184	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.6	102 of 185	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	124 of 184	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.2	125 of 185	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.3	118 of 191	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.2	150 of 186	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)85th percentile+37 vs school

Foster Care (2025)80th percentile+32 vs school

Hispanic (2025)67th percentile+19 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)66th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile+13 vs school

African American (2025)59th percentile+11 vs school

Native American (2025)56th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)49th percentile~ school

Female (2025)45th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)44th percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2025)40th percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2025)34th percentile-14 vs school

Special Education (2025)25th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%-4 vs state

Mathematics42%~ state avg

Science41%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Vandenberg Elementary - 02

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Vandenberg Elementary - 02	Public	4-5	561 Briggs St	Box Elder	57719	Pennington County	Douglas School District 51-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 923-0060	454	30	15.3	40.5%	294 (64.8%)	8 (1.8%)	45 (9.9%)	5 (1.1%)	45 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (12.6%)	53.3	154^th of 300 public elementary schools	48.7%		54.1	98^th of 201 public elementary schools	51.2%	56		47.9	45.5	46.8		50.0	32.2	41.8	41.1	$11,299	$875	$10,424
Patriot Elementary -06	Public	PK, KG-3	421 Don WIlliams Dr	Box Elder	57719	Pennington County	Douglas School District 51-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 923-0080	982	62	15.8	35.8%	622 (63.3%)	25 (2.5%)	126 (12.8%)	6 (0.6%)	78 (7.9%)	6 (0.6%)	119 (12.1%)								(n/a)	45.6				50.2					$12,198	$1,129	$11,069
Valley View Elementary - 13	Public	K-5	4840 Homestead St	Rapid City	57703	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 393-2812	605	34	17.7	41.2%	388 (64.1%)	5 (0.8%)	51 (8.4%)	7 (1.2%)	65 (10.7%)	1 (0.2%)	88 (14.5%)	29.4	231^st of 300 public elementary schools	23.0%		23.4	165^th of 201 public elementary schools	17.9%	66	21.2	21.1	38.1	26.8	31.3	26.6	27.6	28.4	31.4	$10,910	$1,246	$9,664
Rapid Valley Elementary - 12	Public	PK, KG-5	2601 Covington St	Rapid City	57703	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 393-2221	486	31	15.5	42.2%	315 (64.8%)	2 (0.4%)	55 (11.3%)	4 (0.8%)	49 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (12.6%)	47.7	173^rd of 300 public elementary schools	42.3%		33.3	147^th of 201 public elementary schools	26.9%	26	31.7	47.8	54.1	44.0	45.1	42.0	32.4	40.0	37.8	$11,932	$1,555	$10,377
Knollwood Heights Elementary - 08	Public	K-5	1701 Downing St	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 394-1851	368	28	13.0	100.0%	78 (21.2%)	4 (1.1%)	43 (11.7%)	1 (0.3%)	181 (49.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (16.6%)	16.8	262^nd of 300 public elementary schools	12.7%		3.7	197^th of 201 public elementary schools	2.0%	65	25.4	10.5	20.4	18.8	25.4	17.9	5.6	17.2	16.7	$12,239	$1,513	$10,726
General Beadle Elementary - 01	Public	PK, KG-5	10 Van Buren St	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 394-1841	483	26	18.4	100.0%	93 (19.3%)	8 (1.7%)	71 (14.7%)	6 (1.2%)	256 (53.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (10.1%)	10.4	276^th of 300 public elementary schools	8.0%		2.8	199^th of 201 public elementary schools	1.0%	77	6.3	17.3	15.8	13.0	11.4	12.0	2.6	8.7	5.3	$10,845	$1,378	$9,467
Horace Mann Elementary - 07	Public	K-5	902 Anamosa St	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 394-1847	274	20	13.5	100.0%	66 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (16.8%)	2 (0.7%)	111 (40.5%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (17.9%)	13.5	270^th of 300 public elementary schools	10.0%		5.8	194^th of 201 public elementary schools	3.5%	76	11.4	24.3	21.4	18.7	13.6	13.5	7.1	11.4	7.1	$12,171	$1,548	$10,622
Robbinsdale Elementary - 14	Public	PK, KG-5	424 E Indiana St	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 394-1825	328	25	12.9	100.0%	153 (46.6%)	2 (0.6%)	40 (12.2%)	3 (0.9%)	78 (23.8%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (15.9%)	15.4	264^th of 300 public elementary schools	12.0%		5.9	193^rd of 201 public elementary schools	4.0%	71	21.3	10.9	21.3	17.5	10.6	14.6	17.0	14.1	14.9	$12,516	$1,553	$10,962
South Park Elementary - 16	Public	K-5	207 Flormann St	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 394-1833	313	23	13.8	100.0%	118 (37.7%)	4 (1.3%)	33 (10.5%)	2 (0.6%)	109 (34.8%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (15.0%)	27.1	237^th of 300 public elementary schools	21.0%		17.8	178^th of 201 public elementary schools	11.4%	59	42.0	17.3	23.4	27.5	32.0	30.8	19.2	27.5	21.3	$12,731	$1,994	$10,737
Grandview Elementary - 06	Public	K-5	3301 Grandview Dr	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 394-1829	431	26	16.3	39.2%	252 (58.5%)	7 (1.6%)	52 (12.1%)	6 (1.4%)	69 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.4%)	46.1	179^th of 300 public elementary schools	40.3%		47.8	118^th of 201 public elementary schools	41.3%	61	33.0	39.7	54.0	41.1	34.1	45.2	41.3	39.7	41.3	$10,978	$832	$10,146

Frequently Asked Questions about Vandenberg Elementary - 02

How many students attend Vandenberg Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 454 students attended Vandenberg Elementary - 02.

What district is Vandenberg Elementary - 02 in?

Douglas School District 51-1

Is Vandenberg Elementary - 02 a good school?

Vandenberg Elementary - 02 ranks 154^th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Vandenberg Elementary - 02 attend?

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

Middle : Douglas Middle School - 01
High : Douglas High School - 03

What is the racial makeup of Vandenberg Elementary - 02?

Students at Vandenberg Elementary - 02 are 65% White, 13% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 10% American Indian, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

Rate Vandenberg Elementary - 02!

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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.