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Explorer Elementary - 04

Q: Is Explorer Elementary - 04 a good school?

Explorer Elementary - 04 ranks 88 th of 203 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

88^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 203 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Explorer Elementary - 04 serves 338 students in grades K–5 in the Sioux Falls area. Its clearest academic concern is fifth grade: in 2025–2026, 31% of students were proficient in math, compared with 51% in the Harrisburg School District 41-2 and 43% statewide; science proficiency was 37%, versus 47% in the district and 41% statewide. Explorer had the second-lowest fifth-grade math and science results among the 11 nearby schools, and its science score was 22 points below their average.

Across all grades, Explorer performed above state averages but below both the nearby-school averages and, narrowly, Harrisburg in ELA and math. ELA proficiency was 57%, compared with 49% statewide, 59% in Harrisburg, and a 62% nearby-school average; math was 50%, compared with 44% statewide, 51% in Harrisburg, and a 63% nearby average. Explorer ranked sixth of 11 nearby schools in ELA and seventh in math. Third grade was a relative strength: students outperformed district and state results in both subjects. Attendance is another positive: chronic absenteeism was 6%, below the district’s 9% and the state’s 20%.

Results over time are mixed: all-grades ELA rose 3 percentage points from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, while math fell 7 points; fifth-grade science declined 5 points. SchoolDigger ranked Explorer 88th of 203 South Dakota schools, at the 57th percentile with 3 stars, in 2025–2026. Its 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 13.2, and 27.8% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year; these are context, not explanations for test results. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness ranking for Special Education Students was notably higher than the school’s overall standing: the group ranked at the 89th percentile versus 57th overall. For Low Socio Economic Status Students, the ranking rose from the 35th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 74th in 2025–2026, a 39-point increase.

338

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,968

Per pupil spending ?

27.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.8%

Kindergartners immunized against measles (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 2.2% (any vaccine)

4010 W 82nd St
Sioux Falls, SD 57108

(605) 743-2567

District: Harrisburg School District 41-2

Students who attend Explorer Elementary - 04 usually attend:

Middle:	Harrisburg North Middle School - 08
High:	Harrisburg High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.0%

African American:

9.8%

Two or more races:

8.6%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Explorer Elementary - 04 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 81st percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (51% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Above the South Dakota median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg54%

South Dakota avg46%

88^th of 203

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 19% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Harrisburg School District 41-2

42^nd of 126Harrisburg School District 41-2 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
2026	55.8	88 of 203	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.5	91 of 300	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	93 of 201	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.7	78 of 204	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	65 of 202	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.1	64 of 202	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.9	62 of 206	69.9%	★★★★☆
2018	71.4	46 of 204	77.5%	★★★★☆
2017	61.7	80 of 207	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	73.0	39 of 206	81.1%	★★★★☆
2015	68.4	57 of 209	72.7%	★★★★☆
2013	55.9	106 of 201	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	66.1	73 of 214	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.1	97 of 205	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.6	70 of 206	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.9	107 of 196	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	69.6	56 of 194	71.1%	★★★★☆
2007	60.5	90 of 194	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	67.1	66 of 197	66.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	43.2	44 of 81	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	47.3	32 of 58	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	60.3	41 of 176	76.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	63 of 166	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.3	75 of 291	74.2%	★★★★☆
2024	63.7	55 of 165	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.6	46 of 154	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	36 of 150	76.0%	★★★★☆
2021	65.5	49 of 151	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	49 of 155	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.2	50 of 163	69.3%	★★★★☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	69.6	6 of 61	90.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	60 of 163	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2026	58.9	30 of 116	74.1%	★★★★☆
2025	52.5	100 of 237	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.8	71 of 110	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.8	44 of 112	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.5	9 of 80	88.8%	★★★★☆
2021	55.2	40 of 106	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.8	32 of 121	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	63.0	39 of 121	67.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2026	53.9	80 of 161	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.6	90 of 292	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.9	83 of 161	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.7	65 of 166	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.2	73 of 154	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.3	48 of 157	69.4%	★★★★☆
2019	71.2	39 of 160	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	74.0	35 of 170	79.4%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	58.1	60 of 165	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	99 of 152	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2026	82.0	7 of 64	89.1%	★★★★★
2025	77.8	16 of 248	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	63.3	19 of 72	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	42.9	37 of 62	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2026	66.9	51 of 184	72.3%	★★★★☆
2025	73.4	46 of 287	84.0%	★★★★☆
2024	68.2	46 of 184	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	68.0	51 of 185	72.4%	★★★★☆
2022	67.4	53 of 184	71.2%	★★★★☆
2021	63.4	60 of 185	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.0	52 of 191	72.8%	★★★★☆
2018	74.4	31 of 186	83.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Foster Care (2025)90th percentile+20 vs school

Special Education (2026)89th percentile+32 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)77th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)74th percentile+17 vs school

White (2026)72nd percentile+16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)64th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)63rd percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)62nd percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2025)46th percentile-24 vs school

Asian (2025)45th percentile-25 vs school

Native American (2025)35th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts57%+8 vs state

Mathematics50%+7 vs state

Science37%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Explorer Elementary - 04

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners immunized against measles (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Explorer Elementary - 04	Public	K-5	4010 W 82nd St	Sioux Falls	57108	Lincoln County	Harrisburg School District 41-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 743-2567	338	25	13.2	27.8%	223 (66.0%)	33 (9.8%)	28 (8.3%)	11 (3.3%)	14 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.6%)	55.8	88^th of 203 public elementary schools	56.7%		68.5	91^st of 300 public elementary schools	69.7%	3	58.2	51.1	61.2	57.1	63.6	55.6	30.6	50.3	36.7	97.8%	2.2%	$10,968	$251	$10,716
Endeavor Elementary - 07	Public	PK, KG-5	2401 W 95th St	Sioux Falls	57108	Lincoln County	Harrisburg School District 41-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 743-2567	358	27	13.3	12.6%	280 (78.2%)	18 (5.0%)	17 (4.7%)	16 (4.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (6.4%)	75.5	33^rd of 203 public elementary schools	83.7%		71.9	71^st of 300 public elementary schools	76.3%	38	51.9	74.1	57.8	61.8	66.7	82.8	53.3	68.8	51.1	90.2%	9.8%	$11,403	$455	$10,948
Journey Elementary - 05	Public	K-5	6801 S Grange Ave	Sioux Falls	57108	Lincoln County	Harrisburg School District 41-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 743-2567	340	26	13.1	16.5%	270 (79.4%)	19 (5.6%)	17 (5.0%)	11 (3.2%)	8 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.1%)	75.6	31^st of 203 public elementary schools	84.7%		79.5	33^rd of 300 public elementary schools	89.0%	2	53.3	60.8	70.3	62.2	61.7	60.8	64.9	62.7	58.1	94.9%	5.1%	$11,449	$438	$11,011
John F. Kennedy Elementary - 57	Public	K-5	4501 S Holbrook Ave	Sioux Falls	57106	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 362-2784	661	43	15.4	37.5%	481 (72.8%)	45 (6.8%)	48 (7.3%)	10 (1.5%)	17 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (9.1%)	64.9	68^th of 203 public elementary schools	66.5%		72.9	62^nd of 300 public elementary schools	79.3%	6	52.3	49.1	66.7	55.5	59.6	52.8	61.3	57.8	53.8	92.1%	3.4%	$10,658	$608	$10,049
Adventure Elementary - 10	Public	K-5	27220 472nd Ave	Sioux Falls	57108	Lincoln County	Harrisburg School District 41-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 432-2567	440	27	16.4	9.8%	387 (88.0%)	4 (0.9%)	16 (3.6%)	12 (2.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (4.1%)	97	3^rd of 203 public elementary schools	98.5%		91.7	7^th of 300 public elementary schools	97.7%	4	76.6	87.4	88.4	84.7	86.4	84.7	88.4	86.4	81.1	97.4%	2.6%	$13,184	$238	$12,946
RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17	Public	PK, KG-5	7900 W 53rd St	Sioux Falls	57106	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 362-3560	846	49	17.4	37.8%	542 (64.1%)	78 (9.2%)	99 (11.7%)	20 (2.4%)	24 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (9.8%)	53	99^th of 203 public elementary schools	51.2%		64.8	106^th of 300 public elementary schools	64.7%	7	47.4	52.4	53.5	51.1	58.8	49.2	43.1	50.3	45.7	94.8%	0.9%	$11,066	$673	$10,393
Oscar Howe Elementary - 58	Public	K-5	2801 Valley View Rd	Sioux Falls	57106	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 362-2752	608	35	17.1	52.0%	366 (60.2%)	64 (10.5%)	100 (16.4%)	7 (1.2%)	34 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.1%)	48.1	118^th of 203 public elementary schools	41.9%		51.5	161^st of 300 public elementary schools	46.3%	43	37.9	40.9	60.8	46.7	52.6	41.9	48.5	47.7	49.5	97.6%	0%	$11,050	$600	$10,450
Laura Wilder Elementary - 31	Public	K-5	2300 S Lyndale Ave	Sioux Falls	57105	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-4570	447	30	14.8	66.7%	226 (50.6%)	60 (13.4%)	65 (14.5%)	4 (0.9%)	40 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (11.6%)	29.7	159^th of 203 public elementary schools	21.7%		36.3	211^th of 300 public elementary schools	29.7%	52	46.8	21.7	41.0	35.9	57.0	24.1	29.5	37.2	36.1	94.9%	0%	$10,790	$621	$10,170
Robert Frost Elementary - 18	Public	PK, KG-5	3101 S 4th Ave	Sioux Falls	57105	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-6170	447	26	16.8	42.1%	317 (70.9%)	37 (8.3%)	33 (7.4%)	2 (0.4%)	21 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.1%)	46.6	124^th of 203 public elementary schools	38.9%		57.4	139^th of 300 public elementary schools	53.7%	15	29.0	45.2	67.3	45.7	43.5	39.7	52.7	44.7	61.8	93%	0%	$11,331	$597	$10,735
Challenge Center - 51	Public	2-5	3101 S 4th Ave	Sioux Falls	57105	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-6170	165	11	14.8	15.8%	136 (82.4%)	8 (4.8%)	9 (5.5%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.5%)	99.3	1^st of 203 public elementary schools	99.5%		97.8	2^nd of 300 public elementary schools	99.3%	1	100.0	100.0	96.3	98.7	97.5	96.4	92.6	95.3	94.4			$6,651	$560	$6,091

Frequently Asked Questions about Explorer Elementary - 04

Is Explorer Elementary - 04 a good school?

Explorer Elementary - 04 ranks 88^th of 203 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Explorer Elementary - 04?

In the 2024-25 school year, 338 students attended Explorer Elementary - 04.

What is the racial makeup of Explorer Elementary - 04?

Students at Explorer Elementary - 04 are 66% White, 10% African American, 9% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Explorer Elementary - 04 attend?

Students who attend Explorer Elementary - 04 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Harrisburg North Middle School - 08
High : Harrisburg High School - 01

What district is Explorer Elementary - 04 in?

Harrisburg School District 41-2

Rate Explorer Elementary - 04!

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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.