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McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06

Public Grades PK-K

Summary

McKinley Elementary - 06 is a public elementary school located in Watertown, South Dakota, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 234 students. The school is part of the Watertown School District 14-4, which is ranked 56 out of 126 school districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

McKinley Elementary - 06 has shown fluctuating performance on the Smarter Balanced Assessments, with proficiency rates ranging from 41.03% to 56.25% in English Language Arts and 44.87% to 70% in Mathematics across all grades. Compared to the Watertown School District and the state of South Dakota, the school has generally performed below the district and state averages in both subjects. However, the school has shown some strengths, with 4th-grade students outperforming the district and state in both subjects in the 2022-2023 school year. The school also faces challenges with a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 13.3% to 15.5% over the past few years, and a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 52.56% to 66.67% over the past few years.

Compared to nearby schools, Jefferson Elementary - 09 and Lincoln Elementary - 05 have shown varying levels of performance, with Lincoln Elementary - 05 consistently ranking among the top elementary schools in the state and outperforming McKinley Elementary - 06 in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. In contrast, Mellette Elementary - 07 and Roosevelt Elementary - 08 have generally performed below McKinley Elementary - 06 and the district/state averages.

296

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

38.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5 12th St SW
Watertown, SD 57201

(605) 882-6350

District: Watertown School District 14-4

Students who attend McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06 usually attend:

Middle:	Watertown Intermediate School - 13
	Watertown Middle School - 02
High:	Watertown High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.4%

Hispanic:

10.8%

Two or more races:

6.1%

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Compare McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 30th percentile in 2013 → 42nd in 2024

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2023-2024) ?

This school49%

District avg53%

South Dakota avg46%

Not ranked this year

McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06 did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

99^th of 147Watertown School District 14-4 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
2024	48.3	117 of 201	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	74.9	38 of 204	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	57.8	82 of 202	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.0	138 of 202	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.6	104 of 206	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.4	122 of 204	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	57.7	94 of 207	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.0	91 of 206	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	40.2	147 of 209	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.6	141 of 201	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	56.7	116 of 214	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	61.3	90 of 205	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.3	106 of 206	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.9	120 of 196	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.3	93 of 194	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	52.8	125 of 194	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.1	118 of 197	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	72.3	32 of 194	83.5%	★★★★☆
2004	75.2	23 of 189	87.8%	★★★★☆
2003	64.5	62 of 187	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2024	54.2	80 of 165	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.7	32 of 154	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	64.1	48 of 150	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.6	123 of 151	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.5	91 of 155	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	108 of 163	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2024	68.5	24 of 110	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	81.6	15 of 112	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	12 of 80	85.0%	★★★★☆
2021	36.1	73 of 106	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	70.4	23 of 121	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	67.4	28 of 121	76.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2024	39.6	103 of 161	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.3	51 of 166	69.3%	★★★★☆
2022	51.3	78 of 154	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.8	71 of 157	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.0	64 of 160	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.4	90 of 170	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2018	62.9	16 of 62	74.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2024	52.5	90 of 184	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.3	29 of 185	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	62.4	60 of 184	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.3	111 of 185	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.5	125 of 191	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.8	141 of 186	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)78th percentile+36 vs school

Special Education (2018)74th percentile+34 vs school

Female (2024)52nd percentile+10 vs school

White (2024)51st percentile+9 vs school

Male (2024)36th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2023-2024) ?

Mathematics57%+14 vs state

English Language Arts42%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06

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 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 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	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 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06	Public	PK-K	5 12th St SW	Watertown	57201	Codington County	Watertown School District 14-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 882-6350	296	22	13.7	38.2%	229 (77.4%)	2 (0.7%)	32 (10.8%)	5 (1.7%)	10 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.1%)								(n/a)
Mellette Elementary - 07	Public	1-4	619 2nd St NW	Watertown	57201	Codington County	Watertown School District 14-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 882-6385	267	20	13.6	47.6%	192 (71.9%)	3 (1.1%)	20 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (13.1%)	45.1	183^rd of 300 public elementary schools	39.0%		39.4	131^st of 201 public elementary schools	34.8%	52	40.9	32.5					36.4	51.5	45.5					48.3			$11,594	$1,010	$10,584
Jefferson Elementary - 09	Public	1-4	1701 N Maple St	Watertown	57201	Codington County	Watertown School District 14-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 882-6390	333	23	14.2	32.7%	278 (83.5%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.2%)	2 (0.6%)	19 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.7%)	59	130^th of 300 public elementary schools	56.7%		77.7	31^st of 201 public elementary schools	84.6%	99	49.4	48.7					49.1	49.4	62.2					55.3			$11,854	$908	$10,947
Lincoln Elementary - 05	Public	1-4	1100 13th St NE	Watertown	57201	Codington County	Watertown School District 14-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 882-6340	361	24	14.8	37.1%	272 (75.3%)	1 (0.3%)	50 (13.9%)	5 (1.4%)	13 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.5%)	53	157^th of 300 public elementary schools	47.7%		84.2	19^th of 201 public elementary schools	90.5%	138	44.0	41.5					42.7	58.2	47.9					53.0			$11,908	$962	$10,946
Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	319 Mary Pl	Waverly	57201	Codington County	Waverly School District 14-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 886-9174	128	11	11.4	50.8%	105 (82.0%)	1 (0.8%)	4 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.3%)	34.2	217^th of 300 public elementary schools	27.7%		26.2	162^nd of 201 public elementary schools	19.4%	55	23.5	31.6	34.6				30.7	29.4	31.6	26.9				29.0	38.5		$15,192	$484	$14,708
Castlewood Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	310 E Harry St	Castlewood	57223	Hamlin County	Castlewood School District 28-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 793-2497	140	11	13.0	26.4%	131 (93.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	80.9	28^th of 300 public elementary schools	90.7%		55.4	95^th of 201 public elementary schools	52.7%	67	66.7	70.6	64.0				66.7	76.2	70.6	72.0				73.0	48.0		$13,151	$664	$12,487
Florence Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	515 Main Ave	Florence	57235	Codington County	Florence School District 14-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 758-2412	179	11	16.1	32.4%	172 (96.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54.3	147^th of 300 public elementary schools	51.0%		27.8	157^th of 201 public elementary schools	21.9%	10	46.2	48.2	50.0				48.1	61.5	44.5	37.5				48.1	33.3		$12,574	$716	$11,858
Claremont Colony Elementary - 04	Public	K-8	46271 184th St	Castlewood	57223	Hamlin County	Castlewood School District 28-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 793-2497	17	1	17.0		17 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4.6	300^th of 300 public elementary schools	0.0%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0		0.0	100.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0
Henry Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	111 N Cedar	Henry	57243	Codington County	Henry School District 14-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 532-5364	93	10	9.5	49.5%	87 (93.5%)	5 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33.5	220^th of 300 public elementary schools	26.7%		26.9	158^th of 201 public elementary schools	21.4%	62	35.3	40.0	28.6				34.8	41.2	40.0	0.0				28.3	28.6		$14,113	$611	$13,502
Hamlin Elementary - 09	Public	PK, KG-5	44577 188th St	Hayti	57241	Hamlin County	Hamlin School District 28-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 783-3631	472	29	16.4	35.8%	443 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	74.1	59^th of 300 public elementary schools	80.3%		67.1	56^th of 201 public elementary schools	72.1%	3	59.7	53.0	69.0				60.8	64.2	48.5	70.4				61.3	57.8		$9,938	$1,498	$8,440

Frequently Asked Questions about McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06

What schools do graduates of McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06 attend?

Students who attend McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Watertown Intermediate School - 13
Middle : Watertown Middle School - 02
High : Watertown High School - 01

What is the racial makeup of McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06?

Students at McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06 are 77% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

What district is McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06 in?

Watertown School District 14-4

How many students attend McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06?

In the 2024-25 school year, 296 students attended McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06.

Rate McKinley Early Childhood Center - 06!

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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.