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Waubay Elementary - 02

Q: Is Waubay Elementary - 02 a good school?

Waubay Elementary - 02 ranks 142 nd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

142^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Waubay Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in the small town of Waubay, South Dakota, with 77 students enrolled. The school is part of the Waubay School District 18-3, which is ranked 118 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Waubay Elementary - 02 generally outperforms its district in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency, with 43.47% of students proficient or better in ELA and 52.18% proficient or better in Math, compared to 39.76% and 40.97% for the district, respectively. However, the school has struggled with relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 10.5% to 28.2% in recent years. Additionally, the school serves a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with 49.35% to 58.62% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite these challenges, Waubay Elementary - 02 spends more per student than the state average, ranging from $13,811 to $18,550 per student, and maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 6.8 to 7.9.

Compared to nearby schools, Waubay Elementary - 02 generally outperforms Florence Elementary - 02 and Summit Elementary - 02 in terms of test scores and state rankings, but underperforms Webster Area Elementary - 03, a higher-performing school in the region. The nearby Enemy Swim Day School serves a predominantly Native American student population and has an extremely high free/reduced lunch rate of 98.08%, indicating a very high level of economic disadvantage among its students.

Students ?

7.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,598

Per pupil spending ?

64.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

202 W School Rd
Waubay, SD 57273

(605) 947-4529

District: Waubay School District 18-3

Students who attend Waubay Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	Waubay Middle School - 03
High:	Waubay High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.2%

American Indian:

25.0%

Two or more races:

13.6%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Waubay Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 78th percentile in 2022 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the South Dakota median (53rd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 78th-percentile peak (2022) to 53rd (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg41%

South Dakota avg47%

142^nd of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 36 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

118^th of 147Waubay School District 18-3 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	56.4	142 of 300	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.1	83 of 201	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.4	62 of 204	69.6%	★★★★☆
2022	74.6	45 of 202	77.7%	★★★★☆
2021	30.3	153 of 202	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.2	186 of 206	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	170 of 204	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	29.2	165 of 207	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.8	172 of 206	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	9.1	188 of 201	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	38.8	168 of 214	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.9	166 of 205	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	4.8	197 of 206	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	30.3	166 of 196	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	40.6	152 of 194	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	43.6	144 of 194	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	62.1	85 of 197	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	62.3	82 of 194	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	52.5	116 of 189	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2003	34.0	154 of 187	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	157 of 291	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.7	16 of 61	73.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.7	95 of 237	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.8	26 of 106	75.5%	★★★★☆
2019	21.7	109 of 121	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	102 of 121	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	58.5	122 of 292	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.3	123 of 157	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	144 of 160	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.7	135 of 170	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	51 of 165	69.1%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	65 of 152	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.2	24 of 35	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	20.1	226 of 248	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	66.8	85 of 287	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	40.3	120 of 185	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	141 of 191	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Foster Care (2025)74th percentile+21 vs school

White (2025)70th percentile+18 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)69th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)60th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile+6 vs school

Native American (2025)57th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)46th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)9th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics52%+9 vs state

Science50%+9 vs state

English Language Arts43%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Waubay 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 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	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Waubay Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-6	202 W School Rd	Waubay	57273	Day County	Waubay School District 18-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 947-4529	88	11	7.7	64.8%	53 (60.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (25.0%)	1 (1.1%)	12 (13.6%)	56.4	142^nd of 300 public elementary schools	52.7%		58.1	83^rd of 201 public elementary schools	58.7%	59	27.3	52.9	66.7	33.3			43.5	45.5	52.9	66.7	50.0			52.2	50.0			$17,598	$2,189	$15,409
Enemy Swim Day School	Public	K-8	13525 446th Avenue	Waubay	57273	Day County	Enemy Swim Day School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(605) 947-4605	158	1	158.0	98.1%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	158 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Webster Area Elementary - 03	Public	PK, KG-5	733 E 2nd St	Webster	57274	Day County	Webster Area School District 18-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 345-4651	274	19	14.1	33.6%	245 (89.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)	74.6	53^rd of 300 public elementary schools	82.3%		74.7	40^th of 201 public elementary schools	80.1%	13	67.5	55.6	54.3				59.2	75.0	68.9	51.4				65.8	51.4			$12,051	$557	$11,494
Summit Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-8	400 W Sherman Ave	Summit	57266	Roberts County	Summit School District 54-6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 398-6211	132	13	10.1	51.5%	74 (56.1%)	4 (3.0%)	13 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.6%)	22.1	246^th of 300 public elementary schools	18.0%		10.7	185^th of 201 public elementary schools	8.0%	61	22.2	53.3	6.7	11.8	10.0	27.3	22.1	33.3	26.7	13.3	11.8	20.0	18.2	19.5	13.3	36.4	23.1	$15,464	$1,325	$14,139
Sunrise Colony - 15	Public	K-8	45425 152nd St	Summit	57266	Grant County	Watertown School District 14-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(605) 882-6340	20	2	10.0		20 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10.3	277^th of 300 public elementary schools	7.7%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0		50.0	10.0	0.0	33.3	0.0	0.0		0.0	10.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Waubay Elementary - 02

Is Waubay Elementary - 02 a good school?

Waubay Elementary - 02 ranks 142^nd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Waubay Elementary - 02 attend?

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

Middle : Waubay Middle School - 03
High : Waubay High School - 01

How many students attend Waubay Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 88 students attended Waubay Elementary - 02.

What district is Waubay Elementary - 02 in?

Waubay School District 18-3

What is the racial makeup of Waubay Elementary - 02?

Students at Waubay Elementary - 02 are 60% White, 25% American Indian, 14% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

Rate Waubay 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.