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McLaughlin Elementary - 02

Public Grades PK, KG-5

281^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

McLaughlin Elementary - 02 is an elementary school located in McLaughlin, South Dakota, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 209 students. The school is part of the McLaughlin School District 15-2, which is ranked 145 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

McLaughlin Elementary - 02 consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of South Dakota elementary schools, with significantly lower proficiency rates on Smarter Balanced Assessments compared to the state averages. In 2024-2025, only 11.36% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, and only 7.95% were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 50.93% and 43.49%, respectively. The school's performance for special education students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds is particularly concerning, ranking in the bottom 10% and bottom 5% of South Dakota elementary schools, respectively.

The school also faces challenges with extremely high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 20.2% to 49.4% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Despite the relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratios, McLaughlin Elementary - 02 is still performing poorly compared to the state and nearby schools, such as Wakpala Elementary - 02, which had significantly higher proficiency rates in both English Language Arts (51.28%) and Mathematics (28.21%) in 2024-2025.

203

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,291

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

601 Main
Mc Laughlin, SD 57642

(605) 823-4484

District: McLaughlin School District 15-2

Students who attend McLaughlin Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	McLaughlin Middle School - 03
High:	McLaughlin High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

94.6%

Two or more races:

3.0%

White:

2.0%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare McLaughlin Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2010 → 6th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Dakota average (9% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 20% South Dakota)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg9%

South Dakota avg47%

281^st of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

145^th of 147McLaughlin School District 15-2 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
2025	9.7	281 of 300	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.6	195 of 201	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.1	201 of 204	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.2	203 of 207	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	1.0	202 of 206	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.7	202 of 209	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.9	195 of 201	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.1	200 of 214	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.3	196 of 205	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.3	196 of 206	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.0	188 of 196	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	8.6	185 of 194	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.8	182 of 194	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.3	187 of 197	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	1.2	191 of 194	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	4.4	181 of 189	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	3.2	181 of 187	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	13.1	269 of 291	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	153 of 165	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.1	162 of 163	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	15.3	227 of 237	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	101 of 110	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.5	119 of 121	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	7.9	274 of 292	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.5	158 of 161	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.4	162 of 166	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.6	153 of 154	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.7	168 of 170	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	161 of 165	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	29.1	121 of 152	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	20 of 25	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	33 of 35	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	223 of 248	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	54 of 72	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	67 of 72	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	67.2	83 of 287	71.1%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)71st percentile+65 vs school

Native American (2025)20th percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2025)10th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

Male (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)2nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts11%-40 vs state

Mathematics8%-36 vs state

Science3%-38 vs state

★

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Schools Near McLaughlin 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
McLaughlin Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Main	Mc Laughlin	57642	Corson County	McLaughlin School District 15-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 823-4484	203	19	10.9	100.0%	4 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	192 (94.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	9.7	281^st of 300 public elementary schools	6.3%		4.6	195^th of 201 public elementary schools	3.0%	86	9.1	14.3	11.8	11.4	6.1	19.1	2.9	8.0	2.9	$25,291	$7,376	$17,915
Little Eagle School	Public	K-8	1 School Street	Little Eagle	57639	Corson County	Little Eagle School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(605) 823-4235	62	4	15.5	95.2%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Rock Creek Grant School	Public	K-8	1 Indian School Drive	Bullhead	57621	Corson County	Rock Creek Grant School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(605) 823-4971	50	3	16.6	94.0%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Wakpala Elementary - 02	Public	K-5	12250 SD Hwy 1806	Wakpala	57658	Corson County	Smee School District 15-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 845-3040	95	10	9.7	100.0%	2 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	92 (96.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	42.2	192^nd of 300 public elementary schools	36.0%		22.6	166^th of 201 public elementary schools	17.4%	26	57.1	50.0	46.2	51.3	42.9	25.0	15.4	28.2	23.1	$25,371	$4,912	$20,459

Frequently Asked Questions about McLaughlin Elementary - 02

How many students attend McLaughlin Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 203 students attended McLaughlin Elementary - 02.

What schools do graduates of McLaughlin Elementary - 02 attend?

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

Middle : McLaughlin Middle School - 03
High : McLaughlin High School - 01

What district is McLaughlin Elementary - 02 in?

McLaughlin School District 15-2

Is McLaughlin Elementary - 02 a good school?

McLaughlin Elementary - 02 ranks in the bottom 6.3% of South Dakota elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of McLaughlin Elementary - 02?

Students at McLaughlin Elementary - 02 are 95% American Indian, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

Rate McLaughlin Elementary - 02!

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Schools in Mc Laughlin, SD

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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.