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Lowell Elementary - 28

Public Grades PK, KG-5

233^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Lowell Elementary - 28 is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in the Sioux Falls School District 49-5 in South Dakota, with 423 students. The school has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of South Dakota elementary schools, receiving a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years.

Lowell Elementary - 28 faces significant challenges in terms of academic performance, chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic factors. The school consistently underperforms compared to the Sioux Falls School District and the state of South Dakota in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 27.28% of Lowell students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 49.18% for the district and 50.93% for the state. Similarly, only 26.2% were proficient or better in Math, compared to 42.76% for the district and 43.49% for the state. Lowell Elementary - 28 also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.2% to 28.7% in recent years, significantly higher than the district and state averages.

However, Lowell Elementary - 28 has some bright spots in its subgroup performance, ranking highly for African American and English Language Learner students. Additionally, the school is surrounded by several other Sioux Falls elementary schools, such as Sonia Sotomayor Elementary - 65 and Challenge Center - 51, which perform significantly better academically. This suggests that Lowell Elementary - 28 may need to identify and implement more effective instructional and support strategies to improve student outcomes.

426

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,342

Per pupil spending ?

87.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

710 W 18th St
Sioux Falls, SD 57104

(605) 367-8378

District: Sioux Falls School District 49-5

Students who attend Lowell Elementary - 28 usually attend:

Middle:	George McGovern Middle School -09
High:	Jefferson High School - 67

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

33.6%

White:

26.8%

American Indian:

13.4%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Lowell Elementary - 28 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Dakota average (27% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 20% South Dakota)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg45%

South Dakota avg47%

233^rd of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▲ up 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 25Elementary Schools in the Sioux Falls School District 49-5

90^th of 147Sioux Falls School District 49-5 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	28.2	233 of 300	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	177 of 201	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	149 of 204	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.0	166 of 202	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.9	168 of 202	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.0	175 of 206	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	182 of 204	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.4	183 of 207	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.1	185 of 206	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.8	187 of 209	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	9.1	187 of 201	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	15.6	196 of 214	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	25.2	181 of 205	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.4	183 of 206	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	13.7	180 of 196	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.4	184 of 194	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	20.6	171 of 194	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.9	176 of 197	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	20.5	171 of 194	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	5.7	180 of 189	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	9.1	174 of 187	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	40.1	49 of 81	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.8	2 of 11	81.8%	★★★★★
2022	72.4	1 of 9	88.9%	★★★★★
2021	47.2	5 of 10	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	5 of 11	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.0	5 of 9	44.4%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	52.6	28 of 58	51.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	80 of 176	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.5	9 of 13	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.2	7 of 15	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.7	7 of 10	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.2	8 of 11	27.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.7	10 of 11	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	63.8	2 of 11	81.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.0	221 of 291	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	141 of 165	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	113 of 154	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.8	121 of 150	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	126 of 151	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.9	138 of 155	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	144 of 163	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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	39.4	94 of 163	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.7	13 of 22	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.1	10 of 21	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.8	7 of 18	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.6	8 of 18	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.5	6 of 21	71.4%	★★★★☆
2018	55.5	7 of 18	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	30 of 61	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	33.5	181 of 237	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.1	57 of 110	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.6	38 of 112	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.4	23 of 80	71.3%	★★★★☆
2021	48.3	53 of 106	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.4	61 of 121	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.6	76 of 121	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	26.2	227 of 292	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	135 of 161	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.8	111 of 166	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.7	124 of 154	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	127 of 157	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.8	122 of 160	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	148 of 170	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	43.3	15 of 29	48.3%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	52 of 58	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	56.6	63 of 165	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.0	6 of 12	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.1	3 of 7	57.1%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.3	117 of 152	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	28.1	7 of 10	30.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.8	182 of 248	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	67 of 72	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	65 of 72	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	60 of 61	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	55 of 62	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	212 of 287	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.5	149 of 184	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.2	99 of 185	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.3	108 of 184	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.6	140 of 185	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	153 of 191	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.3	145 of 186	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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+68 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)62nd percentile+39 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)55th percentile+32 vs school

Asian (2025)52nd percentile+29 vs school

Homeless (2025)51st percentile+28 vs school

Migrant (2025)48th percentile+26 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+20 vs school

African American (2025)40th percentile+17 vs school

Pacific Islander (2025)30th percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)27th percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)26th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)24th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile~ school

Native American (2025)23rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)10th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Science29%-12 vs state

English Language Arts27%-24 vs state

Mathematics26%-17 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Lowell has an active Cub Scout program. It is open to all boys, first through fifth grades. Cub Scouts meet on the first, third and fourth Thursdays of each month during the school year. Meetings are held at 6:30 pm in the Cafeteria. Hope to see you there! Close Quote

Schools Near Lowell Elementary - 28

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
Lowell Elementary - 28	Public	PK, KG-5	710 W 18th St	Sioux Falls	57104	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 367-8378	426	30	14.2	87.3%	114 (26.8%)	55 (12.9%)	143 (33.6%)	11 (2.6%)	57 (13.4%)	3 (0.7%)	43 (10.1%)	28.2	233^rd of 300 public elementary schools	22.3%		18.3	177^th of 201 public elementary schools	11.9%	56	19.1	31.4	31.5	27.3	22.2	29.4	27.4	26.2	28.8	$12,342	$1,779	$10,563
Sonia Sotomayor Elementary - 65	Public	PK, KG-5	1510 S Lake Ave	Sioux Falls	57105	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-4655	690	38	18.1	14.1%	514 (74.5%)	7 (1.0%)	121 (17.5%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (5.8%)	83.9	12^th of 300 public elementary schools	96.0%		82.6	21^st of 201 public elementary schools	89.6%	9	59.4	70.4	75.0	68.0	77.2	67.3	73.9	72.9	64.1	$11,008	$567	$10,441
Susan B. Anthony Elementary - 66	Public	K-5	2000 S Dakota Ave	Sioux Falls	57105	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-4560	472	31	15.0	61.4%	232 (49.2%)	89 (18.9%)	46 (9.7%)	2 (0.4%)	46 (9.7%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (11.9%)	36.2	212^th of 300 public elementary schools	29.3%		28.4	155^th of 201 public elementary schools	22.9%	57	25.3	27.4	39.2	30.5	33.7	31.0	38.0	34.2	39.2	$11,068	$651	$10,418
Garfield Elementary - 19	Public	PK, KG-5	705 S Roberts Dr	Sioux Falls	57104	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 367-6180	574	41	14.1	88.3%	183 (31.9%)	100 (17.4%)	141 (24.6%)	14 (2.4%)	59 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (13.4%)	17	260^th of 300 public elementary schools	13.3%		7.9	189^th of 201 public elementary schools	6.0%	71	16.2	26.4	18.5	19.7	22.2	20.8	10.2	17.2	14.8	$12,120	$1,798	$10,323
Teachwell Elementary and Intermediate - 09	Public	K-5	715 E 14th St	Sioux Falls	57104	Minnehaha County	East Dakota Educational Cooperative	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-7680	0	2	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Hawthorne Elementary - 56	Public	PK, KG-5	601 N Spring Ave	Sioux Falls	57104	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 367-4580	443	34	12.9	100.0%	136 (30.7%)	90 (20.3%)	97 (21.9%)	15 (3.4%)	58 (13.1%)	6 (1.4%)	41 (9.3%)	16.9	261^st of 300 public elementary schools	13.0%		4.2	196^th of 201 public elementary schools	2.5%	65	11.8	19.6	28.0	19.7	13.7	13.0	14.0	13.6	20.0	$12,992	$2,182	$10,810
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%)	36.3	211^th of 300 public elementary schools	29.7%		18.7	175^th of 201 public elementary schools	12.9%	36	41.7	40.0	23.9	35.1	56.9	34.5	16.4	36.6	20.9	$10,790	$621	$10,170
Bridges At Horace Mann - 52	Public	K-5	1401 E 26th St	Sioux Falls	57105	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 367-6190	55	16	3.4	100.0%	22 (40.0%)	12 (21.8%)	5 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (23.6%)	11	275^th of 300 public elementary schools	8.3%					(n/a)	7.1	11.1	15.4	11.1	7.1	11.1	15.4	11.1	7.7	$18,290	$708	$17,582
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%)	57.4	139^th of 300 public elementary schools	53.7%		53.8	99^th of 201 public elementary schools	50.7%	40	41.9	58.9	48.4	49.0	46.0	41.1	54.8	47.4	48.4	$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%)	97.8	2^nd of 300 public elementary schools	99.3%		99.2	1^st of 201 public elementary schools	99.5%	1	100.0	100.0	94.3	97.9	100.0	98.1	88.7	95.2	90.6	$6,651	$560	$6,091

Frequently Asked Questions about Lowell Elementary - 28

What district is Lowell Elementary - 28 in?

Sioux Falls School District 49-5

What schools do graduates of Lowell Elementary - 28 attend?

Students who attend Lowell Elementary - 28 usually go on to attend:

Middle : George McGovern Middle School -09
High : Jefferson High School - 67

Is Lowell Elementary - 28 a good school?

Lowell Elementary - 28 ranks in the bottom 22.3% of South Dakota elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Lowell Elementary - 28?

Students at Lowell Elementary - 28 are 34% Hispanic, 27% White, 13% American Indian, 13% African American, 10% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

How many students attend Lowell Elementary - 28?

In the 2024-25 school year, 426 students attended Lowell Elementary - 28.

Rate Lowell Elementary - 28!

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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.