Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Wakpala Middle School - 04

Q: Is Wakpala Middle School - 04 a good school?

Wakpala Middle School - 04 ranks in the bottom 24.8% of South Dakota middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Wakpala Middle School - 04?

In the 2024-25 school year, 41 students attended Wakpala Middle School - 04.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Wakpala Middle School - 04?

Students at Wakpala Middle School - 04 are 93% American Indian, 2% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Wakpala Middle School - 04 attend?

Students who attend Wakpala Middle School - 04 usually go on to attend Wakpala High School - 01

Public Grades 6-8

185^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 25% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Wakpala Middle School - 04 is a public middle school located in Wakpala, South Dakota, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 35 students. The school is part of the Smee School District 15-3, which is ranked 135 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Wakpala Middle School - 04 consistently performs below the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 41.46% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 50.93%, and only 14.64% were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 43.49%. However, the school has some bright spots in its performance for specific student subgroups, ranking 3rd out of 31 South Dakota middle schools for Native American students and 8th out of 65 South Dakota middle schools for low socioeconomic status students in the 2023-2024 school year. The school also struggles with special education students, ranking 168th out of 181 South Dakota middle schools in the 2024-2025 school year.

Wakpala Middle School - 04 faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 20.2% to 40.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's spending per student has fluctuated over the years, ranging from $19,666 in the 2020-2021 school year to $37,592 in the 2021-2022 school year, which is higher than the state average. Interestingly, the school performs significantly worse than the nearby Mobridge Middle School - 02, which is part of the Mobridge-Pollock 62-6 district and consistently outperforms Wakpala Middle School - 04 in both ELA and Mathematics.

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,092

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 Middle School - 04 usually attend:

High:

Wakpala High School - 01

Feeder schools for Wakpala Middle School - 04:

Elementary:

Wakpala Elementary - 02

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

92.7%

White:

2.4%

Hispanic:

2.4%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare Wakpala Middle School - 04 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — <1st percentile in 2015 → 25th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Dakota average (26% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 20% South Dakota)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg30%

South Dakota avg47%

185^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 25 pts since 2015

From bottom 1% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle 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	31.3	185 of 246	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	100 of 147	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	10.8	140 of 150	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	133 of 143	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.5	139 of 145	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.3	145 of 149	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.3	140 of 147	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.7	137 of 146	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	1.7	142 of 147	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.8	145 of 145	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	178 of 229	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	65.5	5 of 29	82.8%	★★★★☆
2019	34.8	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	42.9	115 of 187	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	78.2	8 of 65	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	26.8	56 of 70	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	41 of 46	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.9	53 of 63	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.4	74 of 79	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	65 of 71	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	33.4	166 of 233	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.1	109 of 110	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	50.1	40 of 111	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	86.1	3 of 31	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	42.0	13 of 27	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.8	15 of 24	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.6	11 of 25	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.3	22 of 29	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.0	22 of 30	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	26.6	168 of 181	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)83rd percentile+58 vs school

Native American (2025)64th percentile+39 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)29th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)22nd percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)7th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts41%-9 vs state

Mathematics15%-29 vs state

Science10%-33 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Wakpala Middle School - 04 and help other families decide.

Rate Wakpala Middle School - 04

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Wakpala Middle School - 04

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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Wakpala Middle School - 04	Public	6-8	12250 SD Hwy 1806	Wakpala	57658	Corson County	Smee School District 15-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 845-3040	41	4	10.3	100.0%	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)	31.3	185^th of 246 public middle schools	24.8%		37.5	100^th of 147 public middle schools	32.0%	85	42.9	52.9	20.0	41.5	7.1	29.4	0.0	14.6	10.0	$25,092	$3,703	$21,389
Mobridge Middle School - 02	Public	6-8	1107 1st Ave E	Mobridge	57601	Walworth County	Mobridge-Pollock School District 62-6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 845-9210	110	8	13.6	41.8%	62 (56.4%)	2 (1.8%)	3 (2.7%)	1 (0.9%)	39 (35.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.7%)	59.7	97^th of 246 public middle schools	60.6%		47.2	83^rd of 147 public middle schools	43.5%	14	56.1	75.8	43.8	58.5	39.0	39.4	34.4	37.7	43.8	$11,747	$1,513	$10,234
McLaughlin Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	701 Main	Mc Laughlin	57642	Corson County	McLaughlin School District 15-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 823-4484	85	10	8.1	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	1 (1.2%)	83 (97.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.7	223^rd of 246 public middle schools	9.3%		2.6	147^th of 147 public middle schools	0.0%	76	13.3	8.7	20.0	14.1	10.0	4.4	8.0	7.7	8.0	$20,560	$1,632	$18,928

Frequently Asked Questions about Wakpala Middle School - 04

What is the racial makeup of Wakpala Middle School - 04?

Students at Wakpala Middle School - 04 are 93% American Indian, 2% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Wakpala Middle School - 04 attend?

Students who attend Wakpala Middle School - 04 usually go on to attend Wakpala High School - 01

Is Wakpala Middle School - 04 a good school?

Wakpala Middle School - 04 ranks in the bottom 24.8% of South Dakota middle schools.

What district is Wakpala Middle School - 04 in?

Smee School District 15-3

How many students attend Wakpala Middle School - 04?

In the 2024-25 school year, 41 students attended Wakpala Middle School - 04.

Rate Wakpala Middle School - 04!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SDSouth Dakota Middle School Rankings

SDSouth Dakota District Rankings

Schools in Wakpala, SD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Wakpala Middle School - 04!

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.