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Willow Lake Elementary - 02

Q: Is Willow Lake Elementary - 02 a good school?

Willow Lake Elementary - 02 ranks 163 rd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

163^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Willow Lake Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Willow Lake, South Dakota, which is part of the Willow Lake School District 12-3. The school has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past decade, dropping from 65th out of 206 elementary schools in 2015-2016 to 163rd out of 300 in the most recent 2024-2025 school year.

Willow Lake Elementary - 02 consistently underperforms the state average in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels, with particularly low performance in 3rd grade ELA. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 10% to 20.8% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 8.53% in 2021-2022 to 42% in 2023-2024.

While Willow Lake Elementary - 02 performs better than some of its nearby counterparts, such as Shamrock Colony Elementary - 05, Mayfield Colony Elementary - 04, and Collins Colony Elementary - 06, it lags behind the state average and higher-performing schools in the region, like Hamlin Elementary - 09 and Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02. Addressing the challenges faced by Willow Lake Elementary - 02 should be a priority for the school and district to ensure that students receive a high-quality education.

153

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,886

Per pupil spending ?

48.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 Garfield Ave
Willow Lake, SD 57278

(605) 625-5945

District: Willow Lake School District 12-3

Students who attend Willow Lake Elementary - 02 usually attend:

Middle:	Willow Lake Middle School - 03
High:	Willow Lake High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.7%

Hispanic:

2.6%

American Indian:

0.7%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Willow Lake Elementary - 02 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 48th percentile in 2015 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Willow Lake School District 12-3

Worth a look

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

!English Language Arts scores 13 pts below the South Dakota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg38%

South Dakota avg47%

163^rd of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Willow Lake School District 12-3

131^st of 147Willow Lake School District 12-3 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	50.9	163 of 300	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.6	152 of 201	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.2	142 of 204	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	141 of 202	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.8	126 of 202	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	100 of 206	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	99 of 204	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.9	71 of 207	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.0	65 of 206	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.9	109 of 209	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	10.8	194 of 205	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	28.1	173 of 206	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.6	164 of 196	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	50.5	131 of 194	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	32.9	161 of 194	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	46.6	139 of 197	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	49.4	132 of 194	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	70.6	42 of 189	77.8%	★★★★☆
2003	76.1	19 of 187	89.8%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	43.4	87 of 176	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	50.0	152 of 291	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.4	135 of 165	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	136 of 154	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.5	116 of 150	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.4	86 of 151	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	29.1	55 of 61	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	46.5	74 of 163	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	62.4	68 of 237	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	49.8	46 of 110	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	49.0	161 of 292	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	10.1	149 of 161	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	54.8	76 of 157	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	14 of 29	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	29.4	194 of 248	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	42.6	193 of 287	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.9	159 of 184	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.1	151 of 185	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	148 of 184	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.2	122 of 185	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.2	105 of 191	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.6	106 of 186	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2025)71st percentile+26 vs school

Hispanic (2025)55th percentile+9 vs school

Migrant (2025)52nd percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)51st percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)48th percentile~ school

Male (2025)45th percentile~ school

White (2025)33rd percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2025)22nd percentile-24 vs school

Foster Care (2025)10th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics51%+7 vs state

English Language Arts38%-13 vs state

Science38%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Willow Lake 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
Willow Lake Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Garfield Ave	Willow Lake	57278	Clark County	Willow Lake School District 12-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 625-5945	153	11	14.2	48.4%	148 (96.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50.9	163^rd of 300 public elementary schools	45.7%		29.6	152^nd of 201 public elementary schools	24.4%	11	31.3	34.6	47.6				38.1	56.3	46.2	52.4				50.8	38.1			$11,886	$946	$10,940
Mayfield Colony Elementary - 04	Public	K-8	43188 Mayfield Rd	Willow Lake	57278	Clark County	Willow Lake School District 12-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 625-5945	31	2	15.5		31 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38.6	206^th of 300 public elementary schools	31.3%					(n/a)	0.0	33.3	50.0	75.0	33.3		41.2	33.3	0.0	0.0	25.0	33.3		17.7	50.0			$10,730	$95	$10,635
Collins Colony Elementary - 06	Public	K-8	19606 Collins Ave.	Iroquois	57353	Clark County	Willow Lake School District 12-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 625-5945	16	0	106.6		16 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11.8	274^th of 300 public elementary schools	8.7%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	$10,927	$98	$10,829
Shamrock Colony Elementary - 05	Public	K-8	19087 413th Ave	Carpenter	57322	Beadle County	Willow Lake School District 12-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 625-5945	21	2	10.1		21 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4.9	298^th of 300 public elementary schools	0.7%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	50.0	16.7	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	$10,646	$95	$10,551
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04	Public	K-8	533 Fordham Dr	Carpenter	57322	Clark County	Clark School District 12-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 532-3606	42	3	14.0		42 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19.6	252^nd of 300 public elementary schools	16.0%					(n/a)	0.0	33.3	33.3	0.0	33.3	0.0	18.5	25.0	16.7	16.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	11.1	16.7	0.0	9.1	$10,821	$34	$10,787
Silver Lake Colony - 07	Public	K-8	17354 430th Ave	Clark	57225	Clark County	Clark School District 12-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 532-3606	16	2	8.0	81.3%	16 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43.1	190^th of 300 public elementary schools	36.7%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0	50.0	80.0	0.0	50.0	42.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	60.0	0.0	0.0	21.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	$16,690	$34	$16,656
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
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	405 Ingalls Ave SW	De Smet	57231	Kingsbury County	De Smet School District 38-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 854-3963	176	12	14.2	29.0%	152 (86.4%)	1 (0.6%)	8 (4.5%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.3%)	70.6	77^th of 300 public elementary schools	74.3%		62.7	70^th of 201 public elementary schools	65.2%	7	80.0	53.6	45.0				60.3	84.0	57.2	45.0				63.0	45.0			$13,884	$681	$13,203
Clark Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	200 2nd Ave NW	Clark	57225	Clark County	Clark School District 12-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 532-3606	212	17	12.1	26.4%	180 (84.9%)	1 (0.5%)	21 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)	61.5	118^th of 300 public elementary schools	60.7%		57.1	91^st of 201 public elementary schools	54.7%	27	53.6	47.1	64.5				54.8	57.1	50.0	45.2				50.5	38.7			$11,695	$711	$10,984
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Lake Elementary - 02

What schools do graduates of Willow Lake Elementary - 02 attend?

Students who attend Willow Lake Elementary - 02 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Willow Lake Middle School - 03
High : Willow Lake High School - 01

What district is Willow Lake Elementary - 02 in?

Willow Lake School District 12-3

What is the racial makeup of Willow Lake Elementary - 02?

Students at Willow Lake Elementary - 02 are 97% White, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Willow Lake Elementary - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 153 students attended Willow Lake Elementary - 02.

Is Willow Lake Elementary - 02 a good school?

Willow Lake Elementary - 02 ranks 163^rd of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Willow Lake 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.