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Kennedy Elementary - 08

Q: Is Kennedy Elementary - 08 a good school?

Kennedy Elementary - 08 ranks 90 th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

90^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 70% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Kennedy Elementary - 08 is a public elementary school in Pierre, South Dakota, serving 394 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Pierre School District 32-2, which is ranked 32 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Kennedy Elementary - 08 consistently outperforms the state average in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels, with particularly strong performance in 5th-grade ELA, Mathematics, and Science. The school's White students perform at a high level, ranking 22nd out of 287 South Dakota elementary schools, while its Native American students also perform relatively well. However, the school's African American students have struggled, ranking 67th out of 81 South Dakota elementary schools. The school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 11.3% in 2022-2023 to 20.2% in 2024-2025.

Compared to nearby schools, Kennedy Elementary - 08 performs well, outperforming Jefferson Elementary - 06 in test scores and receiving a higher 4-star rating, while Buchanan Elementary - 03 outperforms Kennedy Elementary - 08 in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency. Kennedy Elementary - 08 also has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 27.86% to 33.25% over the past few years, which is higher than the nearby Blunt Elementary - 03 and Stanley County Elementary - 08.

413

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,670

Per pupil spending ?

41.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2306 Brookstone Loop
Pierre, SD 57501

(605) 773-7370

District: Pierre School District 32-2

Students who attend Kennedy Elementary - 08 usually attend:

Middle:	Georgia Morse Middle School - 02
High:	T F Riggs High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.5%

American Indian:

20.1%

Two or more races:

12.8%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Kennedy Elementary - 08 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 51st percentile in 2017 → 70th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (56% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2017

✓Above the South Dakota median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg54%

South Dakota avg47%

90^th of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 19 pts since 2017

From top 49% (2017) to top 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Pierre School District 32-2

32^nd of 147Pierre School District 32-2 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	69.3	90 of 300	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	64.9	63 of 201	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.9	94 of 204	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.3	93 of 202	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.0	94 of 202	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.1	98 of 206	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.3	54 of 204	73.5%	★★★★☆
2017	55.2	101 of 207	51.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	67 of 81	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	59 of 176	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	68.0	77 of 291	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	59.9	65 of 165	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.8	83 of 154	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.9	74 of 150	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.2	66 of 151	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.3	71 of 155	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.2	16 of 163	90.2%	★★★★★

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	33 of 61	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	43.9	82 of 163	49.7%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	58.0	10 of 61	83.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	47.4	117 of 237	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.7	47 of 110	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.8	81 of 112	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	64 of 80	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.7	50 of 106	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.6	66 of 121	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.5	50 of 121	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	65.8	86 of 292	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	69.7	41 of 161	74.5%	★★★★☆
2023	57.8	67 of 166	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	52 of 154	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.4	74 of 157	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	80 of 160	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.0	77 of 170	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	70 of 165	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	50 of 152	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.0	14 of 23	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.2	9 of 21	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.2	17 of 28	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.0	14 of 35	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	55.7	82 of 248	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.1	51 of 72	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.2	37 of 61	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	79.1	22 of 287	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	73.0	37 of 184	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	56.5	84 of 185	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.1	58 of 184	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.9	51 of 185	72.4%	★★★★☆
2019	64.2	54 of 191	71.7%	★★★★☆
2018	76.7	22 of 186	88.2%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)92nd percentile+22 vs school

Homeless (2025)84th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)74th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)71st percentile~ school

Native American (2025)67th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)67th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)66th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)58th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)51st percentile-19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)50th percentile-20 vs school

Foster Care (2025)46th percentile-24 vs school

African American (2025)17th percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics59%+16 vs state

English Language Arts57%+6 vs state

Science47%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kennedy Elementary - 08

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
Kennedy Elementary - 08	Public	K-5	2306 Brookstone Loop	Pierre	57501	Hughes County	Pierre School District 32-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 773-7370	413	26	15.8	41.4%	254 (61.5%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.8%)	2 (0.5%)	83 (20.1%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (12.8%)	69.3	90^th of 300 public elementary schools	70.0%		64.9	63^rd of 201 public elementary schools	68.7%	27	45.2	58.1	67.2	57.0	58.1	62.2	56.3	59.0	46.9	$11,670	$916	$10,754
Buchanan Elementary - 03	Public	K-5	100 N Buchanan Ave	Pierre	57501	Hughes County	Pierre School District 32-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 773-7310	432	26	16.6	36.6%	270 (62.5%)	4 (0.9%)	23 (5.3%)	11 (2.5%)	60 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (14.8%)	75.1	50^th of 300 public elementary schools	83.3%		75.3	38^th of 201 public elementary schools	81.1%	12	42.4	76.1	73.0	63.8	62.1	56.7	57.2	58.7	69.8	$11,597	$863	$10,734
Jefferson Elementary - 06	Public	K-5	900 N Poplar Ave	Pierre	57501	Hughes County	Pierre School District 32-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 773-7320	377	28	13.4	35.5%	240 (63.7%)	2 (0.5%)	24 (6.4%)	2 (0.5%)	64 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (11.9%)	61.2	119^th of 300 public elementary schools	60.3%		57.9	86^th of 201 public elementary schools	57.2%	33	48.4	51.6	60.0	53.0	53.2	42.2	49.1	48.1	50.9	$11,750	$956	$10,794
Pierre Indian Learning Center	Public	1-8	3001 East Sully Avenue	Pierre	57501	Hughes County	Pierre Indian Learning Center	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(605) 224-8661	156	8	19.5	98.1%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	156 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Stanley County Elementary - 08	Public	K-5	17 E 2nd Ave	Fort Pierre	57532	Stanley County	Stanley County School District 57-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 223-7745	178	18	9.8	32.6%	136 (76.4%)	4 (2.2%)	7 (3.9%)	2 (1.1%)	16 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (7.3%)	53.7	151^st of 300 public elementary schools	49.7%		57.7	87^th of 201 public elementary schools	56.7%	64	40.6	65.2	44.8	48.8	34.4	60.9	44.8	45.2	37.9	$15,856	$885	$14,972

Frequently Asked Questions about Kennedy Elementary - 08

How many students attend Kennedy Elementary - 08?

In the 2024-25 school year, 413 students attended Kennedy Elementary - 08.

Is Kennedy Elementary - 08 a good school?

Kennedy Elementary - 08 ranks 90^th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Kennedy Elementary - 08 in?

Pierre School District 32-2

What schools do graduates of Kennedy Elementary - 08 attend?

Students who attend Kennedy Elementary - 08 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Georgia Morse Middle School - 02
High : T F Riggs High School - 01

What is the racial makeup of Kennedy Elementary - 08?

Students at Kennedy Elementary - 08 are 62% White, 20% American Indian, 13% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

Rate Kennedy Elementary - 08!

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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.