Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04

Located at 409 E 6th St, in Alcester, South Dakota, Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04 is a low-enrollment elementary school that enrolls 166 students (grades K through 6), overseen by Alcester-Hudson School District 61-1.

Alcester-Hudson School District 61-1 comprises 4 schools with combined enrollment of 351 students; Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04 is among them.

In terms of who attends, Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04 records that 91% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder is composed of 4% Hispanic, 2% Native American. Compared to Union County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school currently runs with 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.0:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.4:1 average. An estimated 34% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Union County (around 19%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04 tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 49.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 50.1%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Union County) records that median household income runs about $89,636, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. In all, Union County runs 14 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,037 students), of which Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04 is one.

Alcester-Hudson Jr. High - 03 is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04 comes 4th of 6 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 56.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a low-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 28%: 230 students in 2018 compared to 166 in 2025. Class-load math has pulled in: from 13.6:1 in 2018 to 12.0:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04 community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.