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Whitewood Elementary - 04

Q: Is Whitewood Elementary - 04 a good school?

Whitewood Elementary - 04 ranks 44 th of 203 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

44^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 203 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 78% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Whitewood Elementary - 04 is a PK–5 school in Whitewood, South Dakota, serving 138 students in the Meade School District 46-1. Its 2025–2026 results show strong overall mathematics, but performance varies by grade and subject: fourth-grade ELA is a notable concern despite very strong fifth-grade results. The most important takeaway is that mathematics is the school’s clearest strength, while fourth-grade literacy stands out as a weak spot.

Whitewood led the five nearby schools with reported scores in all-grades mathematics: 76% of students were proficient, compared with 44% statewide and 47% in the district. Its all-grades ELA result was 56%, 7 points above the state and 3 above the district, and second among those nearby schools. Results differ sharply by grade: fifth-grade math reached 100%, the highest among nearby schools with reported fifth-grade math, while fourth-grade ELA was 38%—10 points below the state and 9 below the district. Whitewood’s 77% fifth-grade ELA result was also higher than nearby schools with reported results. Chronic absenteeism is another bright spot: at 7% in 2025–2026, it was below the district’s 17%, the state’s 20%, and every nearby school reporting a rate.

Results remain above state averages, but they have declined from earlier highs: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, ELA fell from 85% to 56%, math from 87% to 76%, and fifth-grade science from 60% to 54%. SchoolDigger ranks Whitewood at the 78th statewide percentile and gives it 4 stars; nearby Creekside Elementary - 07 ranks next at the 72nd percentile. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness percentile for White Students fell from 94 in 2024–2025 to 60 in 2025–2026, below the school’s overall 78th percentile. Whitewood’s 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible share was 47%, and its student-teacher ratio was 13.5, compared with a nearby average of 11.8. With 138 students, results from a relatively small number of test takers may vary from year to year.

138

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,288

Per pupil spending ?

47.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

58.3%

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

Exemptions: 37.5% (any vaccine)

603 Garfield St
Whitewood, SD 57793

(605) 269-2264

District: Meade School District 46-1

Students who attend Whitewood Elementary - 04 usually attend:

Middle:	Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02
High:	Sturgis Brown High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.6%

American Indian:

3.6%

Two or more races:

2.9%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Whitewood Elementary - 04 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 98th percentile in 2023 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (64% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of South Dakota elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 98th-percentile peak (2023) to 78th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg50%

South Dakota avg46%

44^th of 203

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From top 29% (2016) to top 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Meade School District 46-1

50^th of 126Meade School District 46-1 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	71.5	44 of 203	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	85.6	9 of 300	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	84.9	18 of 201	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	94.2	5 of 204	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	85.3	18 of 202	91.1%	★★★★★
2021	64.4	71 of 202	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.8	55 of 206	73.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.2	24 of 204	88.2%	★★★★☆
2017	60.4	83 of 207	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.6	59 of 206	71.4%	★★★★☆
2015	65.4	67 of 209	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.2	115 of 201	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	65.6	75 of 214	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.2	123 of 205	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	53.8	119 of 206	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.4	134 of 196	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	57.0	108 of 194	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	67.6	56 of 194	71.1%	★★★★☆
2006	44.4	145 of 197	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	35.9	157 of 194	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	35.6	150 of 189	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	21.2	162 of 187	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	31 of 291	89.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	84.9	10 of 237	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.5	5 of 121	95.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2026	63.1	52 of 161	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	85.5	13 of 292	95.5%	★★★★★
2018	65.3	59 of 170	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	86.6	4 of 58	93.1%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	78.2	15 of 165	90.9%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	96.5	3 of 152	98.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	88.5	7 of 248	97.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	73 of 184	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	79.7	17 of 287	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	73.0	38 of 184	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	92.3	6 of 185	96.8%	★★★★★
2021	44.7	110 of 185	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.2	78 of 191	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.7	27 of 186	85.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Native American (2025)98th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)96th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)93rd percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)91st percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)89th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)68th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)60th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics76%+32 vs state

English Language Arts56%+7 vs state

Science54%+12 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

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2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, June 19, 2020

Such a great school. We chose this school because of its small classes. Now, they've added a two-day-a-week PreK that's open to all families! We're so excited. Close Quote

Schools Near Whitewood 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
Whitewood Elementary - 04	Public	PK, KG-5	603 Garfield St	Whitewood	57793	Lawrence County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 269-2264	138	10	13.5	47.1%	125 (90.6%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	71.5	44^th of 203 public elementary schools	78.3%		85.6	9^th of 300 public elementary schools	97.0%	35	53.3	38.5	76.9	56.1	60.0	69.2	100.0	75.6	53.9	58.3%	37.5%	$13,288	$1,441	$11,847
Sturgis Elementary - 03	Public	K-4	1121 Ballpark Rd	Sturgis	57785	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 347-2386	531	43	12.2	40.7%	460 (86.6%)	3 (0.6%)	22 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.0%)	42.1	133^rd of 203 public elementary schools	34.5%		55.5	144^th of 300 public elementary schools	52.0%	11	46.0	38.1		42.0	58.6	43.4		50.9		94.4%	0%	$11,504	$1,151	$10,354
Lead-Deadwood Elementary - 03	Public	K-5	716 Main St	Deadwood	57732	Lawrence County	Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 717-3884	243	27	9.0	21.4%	221 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.2%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	41.3	134^th of 203 public elementary schools	34.0%		49.5	167^th of 300 public elementary schools	44.3%	33	47.2	45.8	56.1	49.6	50.0	37.5	31.7	39.2	41.5	90.2%	7.3%	$19,853	$2,133	$17,719
Mountain View Elementary - 08	Public	K	400 E Hudson	Spearfish	57783	Lawrence County	Spearfish School District 40-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 717-1209	168	14	11.7	20.8%	133 (79.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (8.9%)	1 (0.6%)	5 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (8.3%)								(n/a)										83.3%	9.4%	$11,926	$949	$10,978
Creekside Elementary - 07	Public	3-5	2325 N Ave	Spearfish	57783	Lawrence County	Spearfish School District 40-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 717-1210	553	36	15.4	23.0%	478 (86.4%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (4.3%)	5 (0.9%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.5%)	68.4	56^th of 203 public elementary schools	72.4%		66.2	101^st of 300 public elementary schools	66.3%	45	55.0	58.7	60.7	58.2	65.1	63.1	54.9	61.0	46.8			$9,983	$727	$9,256
West Elementary - 03	Public	1-2	920 W King St	Spearfish	57783	Lawrence County	Spearfish School District 40-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 717-1205	322	31	10.5	17.1%	283 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)								(n/a)												$11,874	$1,519	$10,355
South Park Elementary - 03	Public	1-4	1816 Valley Dr	Belle Fourche	57717	Butte County	Belle Fourche School District 09-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 723-3382	347	30	11.5	53.9%	288 (83.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.5%)	33.1	152^nd of 203 public elementary schools	25.1%		48.5	170^th of 300 public elementary schools	43.3%	18	31.2	41.1		36.1	44.1	52.2		48.1				$11,949	$1,727	$10,222
North Park Elementary - 08	Public	K	29 N 6th Ave	Belle Fourche	57717	Butte County	Belle Fourche School District 09-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 723-3379	89	8	10.6	44.9%	79 (88.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)								(n/a)										76.8%	8.5%	$13,139	$516	$12,623
Piedmont Valley Elementary - 05	Public	K-4	16159 2nd St	Piedmont	57769	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 787-5295	514	37	13.8	25.3%	435 (84.6%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.6%)	4 (0.8%)	12 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.6%)	67.4	62^nd of 203 public elementary schools	69.5%		66.7	96^th of 300 public elementary schools	68.0%	34	51.1	56.8		53.9	63.6	65.3		64.4		94.7%	5.3%	$10,908	$800	$10,108

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitewood Elementary - 04

How many students attend Whitewood Elementary - 04?

In the 2024-25 school year, 138 students attended Whitewood Elementary - 04.

What district is Whitewood Elementary - 04 in?

Meade School District 46-1

What is the racial makeup of Whitewood Elementary - 04?

Students at Whitewood Elementary - 04 are 91% White, 4% American Indian, 3% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Whitewood Elementary - 04 attend?

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

Middle : Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02
High : Sturgis Brown High School - 01

Is Whitewood Elementary - 04 a good school?

Whitewood Elementary - 04 ranks 44^th of 203 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Whitewood 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.