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

Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02

Q: Is Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 a good school?

Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 ranks 217 th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

217^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school serving 113 students in grades PK-5 in Waverly, South Dakota, which is part of the Waverly School District 14-5. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of South Dakota elementary schools over the past 10 years, with below-average performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments in both English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the state and district averages.

Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 4.6% to 20.8% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also has a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with free and reduced-price lunch rates ranging from 26.19% to 44.25%. Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratio, it has struggled to translate these resources into improved academic outcomes.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Claremont Colony Elementary - 04, Castlewood Elementary - 02, and several Watertown-area schools, generally outperform Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 in academic achievement, with higher proficiency rates and better rankings. The school's declining performance over the past few years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 133 out of 202 schools in 2021-2022 to 217 out of 300 schools in 2024-2025, suggests the need for a comprehensive review of the school's instructional practices, resource allocation, and strategies to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

128

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,192

Per pupil spending ?

50.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

319 Mary Pl
Waverly, SD 57201

(605) 886-9174

District: Waverly School District 14-5

Students who attend Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	Waverly-South Shore Middle School - 03
High:	Waverly-South Shore High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.0%

American Indian:

7.8%

Two or more races:

6.3%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 28th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Dakota average (31% vs 47% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts scores 20 pts below the South Dakota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg33%

South Dakota avg47%

217^th of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

129^th of 147Waverly School District 14-5 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	34.2	217 of 300	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	162 of 201	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	152 of 204	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.1	133 of 202	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.7	178 of 202	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	181 of 206	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.7	163 of 204	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.1	177 of 207	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	39.6	146 of 206	29.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.3	143 of 209	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.2	111 of 201	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	43.9	160 of 214	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	61.8	88 of 205	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.4	125 of 206	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	53.7	114 of 196	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.2	133 of 194	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.0	137 of 194	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	67.5	64 of 197	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	30.0	163 of 194	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	67 of 81	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	212 of 291	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.9	112 of 165	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.2	133 of 163	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	19.2	145 of 163	11.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	24.5	211 of 237	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	87 of 110	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	35.4	210 of 292	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	122 of 161	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	151 of 166	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	150 of 160	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.8	138 of 170	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	163 of 165	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	145 of 152	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	190 of 248	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	218 of 287	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	161 of 184	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	156 of 185	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	141 of 184	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.5	182 of 185	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	183 of 191	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	171 of 186	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)28th percentile~ school

Female (2025)27th percentile~ school

White (2025)24th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile-4 vs school

African American (2025)17th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)11th percentile-17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile-17 vs school

Native American (2025)5th percentile-23 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)1st percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Science38%~ state avg

English Language Arts31%-20 vs state

Mathematics29%-14 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 and help other families decide.

Rate Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02

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 Waverly-South Shore 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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02

Is Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 a good school?

Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 ranks 217^th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02?

Students at Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 are 82% White, 8% American Indian, 6% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 128 students attended Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02.

What district is Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 in?

Waverly School District 14-5

What schools do graduates of Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 attend?

Students who attend Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Waverly-South Shore Middle School - 03
High : Waverly-South Shore High School - 01

Rate Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SDSouth Dakota Elementary School Rankings

SDSouth Dakota District Rankings

Schools in Waverly, SD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02!

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.