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Wakpala Elementary - 02

Q: Is Wakpala Elementary - 02 a good school?

Wakpala Elementary - 02 ranks 192 nd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

192^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 36% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Wakpala Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school serving grades K-5 in Wakpala, South Dakota, with 84 students. The school is part of the Smee School District 15-3, which is ranked 135 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Wakpala Elementary - 02 has consistently ranked in the bottom half of South Dakota elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 192 out of 300 schools.

The school has struggled with low academic performance, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics well below the state averages. In 2024-2025, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 51.28% compared to the state average of 50.93%, while its Mathematics proficiency rate was only 28.21% compared to the state's 43.49%. Wakpala Elementary - 02 has also faced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.2% to 40.4% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. However, the school has shown some strengths in its performance for specific student subgroups, ranking 4th out of 25 South Dakota elementary schools for Native American students in 2023-2024 and 1st out of 61 schools for homeless students in 2024-2025.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as McLaughlin Elementary - 02 and Freeman Davis Elementary - 03, also struggle with low academic performance and high rates of poverty, suggesting that the challenges faced by Wakpala Elementary - 02 are not unique but rather reflective of the broader educational landscape in the region. Despite spending significantly more per student ($25,308 in 2023-2024) compared to the nearby schools, the school has not yet seen significant academic improvements, indicating that higher spending alone does not necessarily translate to better outcomes.

Students ?

9.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,371

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12250 SD Hwy 1806
Wakpala, SD 57658

(605) 845-3040

District: Smee School District 15-3

Students who attend Wakpala Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	Wakpala Middle School - 04
High:	Wakpala High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

96.8%

White:

2.1%

Two or more races:

1.1%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Wakpala Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2015 → 36th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Dakota average (37% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Science scores 17 pts below the South Dakota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg31%

South Dakota avg47%

192^nd of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 30 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

135^th of 147Smee School District 15-3 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	42.2	192 of 300	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.6	166 of 201	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	162 of 204	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	153 of 202	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	174 of 202	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	141 of 206	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	13.6	188 of 204	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	17.8	184 of 207	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	9.1	193 of 206	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.2	197 of 209	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.2	191 of 201	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.0	208 of 214	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	22.0	185 of 205	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	5.5	195 of 206	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	29.4	168 of 196	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	9.9	183 of 194	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.2	185 of 194	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.5	194 of 197	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	13.8	176 of 194	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	24.6	163 of 189	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	3.4	180 of 187	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	144 of 291	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	90.7	1 of 61	98.4%	★★★★★
2018	29.6	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.6	96 of 237	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	39 of 110	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.6	40 of 112	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.7	29 of 80	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.8	62 of 106	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.0	19 of 121	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	32.3	94 of 121	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	206 of 292	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	129 of 166	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	102 of 165	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	66.2	27 of 152	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	70.0	4 of 25	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	76.9	3 of 25	88.0%	★★★★★
2022	66.5	6 of 23	73.9%	★★★★☆
2021	64.8	5 of 21	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	81.0	3 of 28	89.3%	★★★★★
2018	60.0	12 of 35	65.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	141 of 248	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)98th percentile+62 vs school

Native American (2025)82nd percentile+46 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)59th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2025)51st percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2025)43rd percentile+7 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)38th percentile~ school

Male (2025)29th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts51%~ state avg

Mathematics28%-15 vs state

Science23%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wakpala 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
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
Mobridge Upper Elementary - 04	Public	3-5	1107 1st Ave E	Mobridge	57601	Walworth County	Mobridge-Pollock School District 62-6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 845-9210	143	9	16.4	46.2%	97 (67.8%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.1%)	1 (0.7%)	37 (25.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.8%)	60.8	120^th of 300 public elementary schools	60.0%		63.5	65^th of 201 public elementary schools	67.7%	55	39.0	57.8	58.8	52.6	36.6	64.4	35.3	45.3	56.9	$11,521	$1,423	$10,099
Freeman Davis Elementary - 03	Public	K-2	601 E 4th Ave	Mobridge	57601	Walworth County	Mobridge-Pollock School District 62-6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 845-9275	149	11	13.6	53.7%	78 (52.3%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.0%)	1 (0.7%)	64 (43.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)								(n/a)										$11,343	$1,410	$9,933
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)
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Wakpala Elementary - 02

What district is Wakpala Elementary - 02 in?

Smee School District 15-3

How many students attend Wakpala Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 95 students attended Wakpala Elementary - 02.

Is Wakpala Elementary - 02 a good school?

Wakpala Elementary - 02 ranks 192^nd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Wakpala Elementary - 02?

Students at Wakpala Elementary - 02 are 97% American Indian, 2% White, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Wakpala Elementary - 02 attend?

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

Middle : Wakpala Middle School - 04
High : Wakpala High School - 01

Rate Wakpala Elementary - 02!

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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.