Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Garretson Elementary - 02

Q: Is Garretson Elementary - 02 a good school?

Garretson Elementary - 02 ranks 172 nd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

172^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Garretson Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Garretson, South Dakota, with 248 students. The school is part of the Garretson School District 49-4, which is ranked 100 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Garretson Elementary - 02 has consistently ranked in the bottom half of South Dakota elementary schools, typically between 150-170 out of around 200-300 schools, with a 1-2 star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates on the Smarter Balanced Assessments are generally lower than the state and district averages across all grades and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's ELA proficiency rate for all grades was 35.78% compared to the state average of 50.93%, and its math proficiency rate was 44.96% compared to the state's 43.49%. The school has also seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.5% in 2022-2023 to 20.2% in 2024-2025, and the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch has more than tripled from 6.36% in 2021-2022 to 23.79% in 2023-2024.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Fred Assam Elementary (Brandon Valley School District) and Baltic Elementary, which are ranked in the top 5-40 schools statewide and have much higher proficiency rates, Garretson Elementary - 02 performs significantly worse. The school's ranking and test scores have also steadily declined over the past decade, dropping from a high of 4-star status and a ranking in the top 25 schools in 2015-2016 to its current 1-2 star, bottom half ranking.

246

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,734

Per pupil spending ?

24.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

505 2nd St
Garretson, SD 57030

(605) 594-3453

District: Garretson School District 49-4

Students who attend Garretson Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	Garretson Middle School - 03
High:	Garretson High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.8%

Two or more races:

4.9%

Hispanic:

3.3%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Garretson Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 19th percentile in 2023 → 43rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 43rd (2025) from a 19th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Dakota average (41% vs 47% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts scores 15 pts below the South Dakota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg42%

South Dakota avg47%

172^nd of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 34 pts since 2015

From top 23% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

100^th of 147Garretson School District 49-4 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	48.0	172 of 300	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	159 of 201	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	166 of 204	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	151 of 202	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.3	160 of 202	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	167 of 206	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	58.8	87 of 204	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	71.8	44 of 207	78.7%	★★★★☆
2016	77.6	24 of 206	88.3%	★★★★☆
2015	71.4	49 of 209	76.6%	★★★★☆
2013	61.4	85 of 201	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.6	86 of 214	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.1	98 of 205	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	49.7	133 of 206	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	68.6	57 of 196	70.9%	★★★★☆
2008	70.0	53 of 194	72.7%	★★★★☆
2007	67.0	58 of 194	70.1%	★★★★☆
2006	70.2	46 of 197	76.6%	★★★★☆
2005	70.6	41 of 194	78.9%	★★★★☆
2004	53.8	115 of 189	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2003	52.2	107 of 187	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	187 of 291	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	122 of 165	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.3	111 of 154	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	114 of 150	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.5	120 of 151	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	132 of 155	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.5	80 of 163	50.9%	★★★☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	23 of 61	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	34.6	171 of 237	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	103 of 121	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	156 of 292	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.8	128 of 161	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	133 of 166	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.6	109 of 154	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.9	104 of 157	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	114 of 160	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	63.1	66 of 170	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	72 of 165	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	149 of 152	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	42.0	143 of 248	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	196 of 287	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.4	168 of 184	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	164 of 185	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	146 of 184	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	159 of 185	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.3	167 of 191	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.6	100 of 186	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Foster Care (2025)62nd percentile+20 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)56th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)47th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2025)42nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)36th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)32nd percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile-15 vs school

Native American (2025)2nd percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Science47%+7 vs state

Mathematics45%~ state avg

English Language Arts36%-15 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Garretson Elementary - 02 and help other families decide.

Rate Garretson 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 Garretson 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
Garretson Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	505 2nd St	Garretson	57030	Minnehaha County	Garretson School District 49-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 594-3453	246	17	14.4	24.8%	221 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.9%)	48	172^nd of 300 public elementary schools	42.7%		26.9	159^th of 201 public elementary schools	20.9%	13	36.6	17.6	52.9	35.8	53.7	35.3	44.1	45.0	47.1	$11,734	$857	$10,877
Brandon Elementary - 03	Public	PK, KG-4	501 Holly Blvd	Brandon	57005	Minnehaha County	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 582-6315	728	48	15.1	29.8%	565 (77.6%)	41 (5.6%)	52 (7.1%)	6 (0.8%)	10 (1.4%)	4 (0.5%)	50 (6.9%)	78.8	35^th of 300 public elementary schools	88.3%		87.7	10^th of 201 public elementary schools	95.0%	25	58.2	75.4		66.5	63.4	77.8		70.4		$10,254	$487	$9,766
Robert Bennis Elementary - 05	Public	K-4	2001 S Sioux Blvd	Brandon	57005	Minnehaha County	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 582-8010	542	32	16.7	10.1%	470 (86.7%)	7 (1.3%)	17 (3.1%)	6 (1.1%)	11 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.7%)	81.5	24^th of 300 public elementary schools	92.0%		82	22^nd of 201 public elementary schools	89.1%	2	73.8	66.4		70.3	71.3	68.2		69.8		$10,253	$509	$9,744
Baltic Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	1 Bulldog Ave	Baltic	57003	Minnehaha County	Baltic School District 49-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 529-5464	307	18	16.9	16.0%	277 (90.2%)	2 (0.7%)	12 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.6%)	78	37^th of 300 public elementary schools	87.7%		68	53^rd of 201 public elementary schools	73.6%	16	59.2	63.0	65.0	62.2	77.6	63.0	57.5	66.7	57.5	$11,079	$680	$10,399
Fred Assam Elementary - 06	Public	K-4	7700 E Willowwood St	Sioux Falls	57110	Minnehaha County	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 582-1500	531	29	18.1	7.7%	455 (85.7%)	6 (1.1%)	27 (5.1%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.8%)	94	5^th of 300 public elementary schools	98.3%		98	2^nd of 201 public elementary schools	99.0%	3	82.0	87.8		84.9	89.0	92.9		90.9		$9,971	$242	$9,729
Dell Rapids Elementary - 02	Public	K-4	309 W 15th St	Dell Rapids	57022	Minnehaha County	Dell Rapids School District 49-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 428-5473	355	28	12.9	12.7%	324 (91.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	81.9	22^nd of 300 public elementary schools	92.7%		89	7^th of 201 public elementary schools	96.5%	15	58.2	68.8		64.4	80.0	74.0		76.5		$11,806	$480	$11,326
Renberg Elementary - 42	Public	K-5	47260 258th St	Renner	57055	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 543-5273	155	10	15.3	56.1%	93 (60.0%)	23 (14.8%)	17 (11.0%)	1 (0.6%)	8 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (8.4%)	40.7	196^th of 300 public elementary schools	34.7%		29.5	153^rd of 201 public elementary schools	23.9%	43	33.3	37.5	28.0	33.3	45.8	43.8	36.0	42.0	32.0	$11,972	$794	$11,178
Anne Sullivan Elementary - 20	Public	PK, KG-5	3701 E 3rd St	Sioux Falls	57103	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 367-6084	632	45	13.9	83.4%	91 (14.4%)	287 (45.4%)	85 (13.4%)	116 (18.4%)	25 (4.0%)	2 (0.3%)	26 (4.1%)	27	238^th of 300 public elementary schools	20.7%		18.5	176^th of 201 public elementary schools	12.4%	62	23.4	30.6	37.1	30.4	24.5	27.1	22.7	24.6	21.7	$12,735	$1,470	$11,265
Laura B. Anderson Elementary - 10	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 N Wayland Ave	Sioux Falls	57103	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 367-6130	291	26	11.3	85.2%	95 (32.6%)	31 (10.7%)	105 (36.1%)	9 (3.1%)	26 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.6%)	23	243^rd of 300 public elementary schools	19.0%		9.8	186^th of 201 public elementary schools	7.5%	57	25.0	26.0	28.6	26.5	31.8	22.0	16.7	23.5	16.7	$13,906	$2,305	$11,601
Rosa Parks Elementary - 15	Public	K-5	5701 E Red Oak Dr	Sioux Falls	57710	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 371-4170	618	39	15.7	59.4%	259 (41.9%)	74 (12.0%)	184 (29.8%)	28 (4.5%)	22 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (8.3%)	36	214^th of 300 public elementary schools	28.7%		22.5	167^th of 201 public elementary schools	16.9%	47	33.6	43.2	30.1	35.4	35.3	45.5	26.9	35.7	23.7	$11,225	$598	$10,626

Frequently Asked Questions about Garretson Elementary - 02

How many students attend Garretson Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 246 students attended Garretson Elementary - 02.

What district is Garretson Elementary - 02 in?

Garretson School District 49-4

What schools do graduates of Garretson Elementary - 02 attend?

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

Middle : Garretson Middle School - 03
High : Garretson High School - 01

Is Garretson Elementary - 02 a good school?

Garretson Elementary - 02 ranks 172^nd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Garretson Elementary - 02?

Students at Garretson Elementary - 02 are 90% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 2% American Indian.

Rate Garretson Elementary - 02!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SDSouth Dakota Elementary School Rankings

SDSouth Dakota District Rankings

Schools in Garretson, SD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Garretson 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.