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RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17

Q: Is RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 a good school?

RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 ranks 106 th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

106^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 65% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 is a public elementary school in the Sioux Falls School District 49-5, serving 910 students in grades PK-5. The school has a diverse student population and a strong academic performance, consistently outperforming the district and state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency.

RF Pettigrew's academic excellence is particularly notable in Mathematics, where over 60% of students in 3rd and 4th grade are proficient, significantly higher than the district and state. The school's 5th grade Science proficiency is also above the district and state averages. This strong performance is impressive given the school's higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students compared to some nearby schools, such as Tea Area Legacy Elementary and Discovery Elementary.

However, RF Pettigrew has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.7% in 2020-2021 to 24.5% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the district average. The school and district should address this issue to ensure continued student success. Overall, RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 is a strong-performing school that stands out in its academic achievement, particularly in Mathematics, despite serving a diverse student population with a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students compared to some nearby schools.

846

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,066

Per pupil spending ?

37.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7900 W 53rd St
Sioux Falls, SD 57106

(605) 362-3560

District: Sioux Falls School District 49-5

Students who attend RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 usually attend:

Middle:	Memorial Middle School - 04
High:	Roosevelt High School - 03

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.1%

Hispanic:

11.7%

Two or more races:

9.8%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 78th percentile in 2015 → 65th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (53% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Above the South Dakota median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg45%

South Dakota avg47%

106^th of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 35%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 22% (2015) to top 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^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	64.8	106 of 300	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.0	57 of 201	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.9	75 of 204	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.7	47 of 202	76.7%	★★★★☆
2021	73.4	41 of 202	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	79.3	27 of 206	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.9	60 of 204	70.6%	★★★★☆
2017	69.4	53 of 207	74.4%	★★★★☆
2016	64.4	66 of 206	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	71.9	47 of 209	77.5%	★★★★☆
2013	70.7	48 of 201	76.1%	★★★★☆
2012	78.2	25 of 214	88.3%	★★★★☆
2011	75.4	28 of 205	86.3%	★★★★☆
2010	73.3	41 of 206	80.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	61.3	19 of 81	76.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	56.6	24 of 58	58.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	58 of 176	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	66.7	82 of 291	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	65.2	53 of 165	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.6	52 of 154	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.2	44 of 150	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	70.1	40 of 151	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.9	15 of 155	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	70.5	40 of 163	75.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	54 of 163	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.2	3 of 21	85.7%	★★★★★
2021	92.0	2 of 18	88.9%	★★★★★

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	49 of 61	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	44.3	135 of 237	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	72.5	20 of 110	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	60.3	36 of 112	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.8	8 of 80	90.0%	★★★★★
2021	79.1	13 of 106	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	67.1	27 of 121	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	64.8	34 of 121	71.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	57.6	127 of 292	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.2	47 of 161	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	63.7	57 of 166	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.5	27 of 154	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	75.6	32 of 157	79.6%	★★★★☆
2019	79.3	24 of 160	85.0%	★★★★☆
2018	63.4	65 of 170	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	51 of 58	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	69 of 165	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.2	3 of 12	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	77.1	2 of 7	71.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.2	2 of 14	85.7%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	72 of 152	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	46.0	118 of 248	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.3	42 of 72	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.7	27 of 72	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.8	10 of 61	83.6%	★★★★☆
2018	70.4	12 of 62	80.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	64.5	97 of 287	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	68 of 184	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.1	71 of 185	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.4	49 of 184	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	67.0	50 of 185	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	73.7	33 of 191	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	54.5	90 of 186	51.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2025)77th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)72nd percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)67th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)67th percentile~ school

White (2025)66th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)59th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)58th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)57th percentile-8 vs school

Native American (2025)53rd percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2025)52nd percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)43rd percentile-22 vs school

Homeless (2025)20th percentile-45 vs school

Military Connected (2025)12th percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics57%+14 vs state

English Language Arts53%~ state avg

Science41%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17

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
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%)	64.8	106^th of 300 public elementary schools	64.7%		67	57^th of 201 public elementary schools	71.6%	49	53.0	56.3	50.4	53.0	62.4	65.2	46.9	57.3	41.3	$11,066	$673	$10,393
Tea Area Frontier Elementary - 05	Public	K-5	2700 S Lancaster Dr	Sioux Falls	57106	Minnehaha County	Tea Area School District 41-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 498-2700	292	21	13.9	40.1%	158 (54.1%)	39 (13.4%)	57 (19.5%)	12 (4.1%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.2%)	53.6	152^nd of 300 public elementary schools	49.3%		49.2	113^th of 201 public elementary schools	43.8%	39	35.9	55.6	53.7	47.5	43.4	53.3	43.9	46.8	36.6	$10,586	$412	$10,174
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%)	72.9	62^nd of 300 public elementary schools	79.3%		73.4	44^th of 201 public elementary schools	78.1%	18	51.4	69.2	66.3	61.9	57.0	68.1	54.5	59.5	51.5	$10,658	$608	$10,049
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%)	51.5	161^st of 300 public elementary schools	46.3%		35.4	142^nd of 201 public elementary schools	29.4%	19	43.1	53.9	37.8	45.5	47.1	54.9	32.9	45.8	36.6	$11,050	$600	$10,450
Discovery Elementary - 26	Public	PK, KG-5	1506 S Discovery Ave	Sioux Falls	57106	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 362-3530	873	50	17.3	21.9%	699 (80.1%)	51 (5.8%)	51 (5.8%)	6 (0.7%)	25 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (4.7%)	72.8	63^rd of 300 public elementary schools	79.0%		71.6	46^th of 201 public elementary schools	77.1%	17	61.6	56.6	61.9	60.0	66.7	59.3	60.4	62.1	46.8	$10,792	$577	$10,214
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%)	68.5	91^st of 300 public elementary schools	69.7%		56.3	93^rd of 201 public elementary schools	53.7%	2	58.0	56.5	60.7	58.6	70.0	43.5	55.4	56.6	44.6	$10,968	$251	$10,716
Hayward Elementary - 38	Public	PK, KG-5	400 N Valley View Rd	Sioux Falls	57107	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 367-4590	728	51	14.1	83.5%	202 (27.7%)	73 (10.0%)	342 (47.0%)	4 (0.5%)	44 (6.0%)	2 (0.3%)	61 (8.4%)	14.8	265^th of 300 public elementary schools	11.7%		6.1	192^nd of 201 public elementary schools	4.5%	73	10.7	26.9	15.5	17.0	9.2	22.1	11.4	13.7	12.2	$11,446	$1,508	$9,938
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
Tea Area Legacy Elementary - 01	Public	K-5	500 W Charish St	Tea	57064	Lincoln County	Tea Area School District 41-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 498-2700	538	31	17.1	14.5%	458 (85.1%)	4 (0.7%)	34 (6.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.7%)	83.9	13^th of 300 public elementary schools	95.7%		81.8	24^th of 201 public elementary schools	88.1%	11	74.2	76.1	65.0	71.7	84.3	77.5	65.0	75.8	47.5	$9,497	$292	$9,205
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

Frequently Asked Questions about RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17

Is RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 a good school?

RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 ranks 106^th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 attend?

Students who attend RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Memorial Middle School - 04
High : Roosevelt High School - 03

What district is RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 in?

Sioux Falls School District 49-5

What is the racial makeup of RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17?

Students at RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17 are 64% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 9% African American, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

How many students attend RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17?

In the 2024-25 school year, 846 students attended RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17.

Rate RF Pettigrew Elementary - 17!

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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.