Enrollment
101
Elementary
DISTRICT 76 · STATE 204
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARDING COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 31-1·NCES 460930000087
Buffalo Elementary - 02
12474 Tipperary St, Buffalo, SD 57720 · (605) 375-3241 · Harding County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL101 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 47% of South Dakota public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded South Dakota public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
10.4:1
10 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.7:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
26%
26 students
DISTRICT 27% · STATE 42%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 24 | 24% |
| Grade 1 | 14 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 16 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 17 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 20 | 20% |
| Grade 5 | 10 | 10% |
This year's kindergarten class (24) is 140% larger than its 5th grade class (10).
Student demographics
10%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 53% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Harding County School District 31-1. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
50.0%
SD avg 50.3% . +10.0pp since 2022
Math
47.7%
SD avg 47.5% . +4.8pp since 2022
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 50 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 48 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all South Dakota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 47. Reading and writing scores are up about 10 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 5 points.
SD Smarter Balanced results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 50.0% | 47.7% |
| 2023-24 | 52.0% | 52.0% |
| 2022-23 | 40.0% | 42.9% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SD Smarter Balanced. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
48.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.5%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 49% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 52% typical for South Dakota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among South Dakota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Buffalo Elementary - 02
Buffalo Elementary - 02's state test result (48.9% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Elementary - 02 this school | 101 | 25.7% | 48.9% |
| Kimball Elementary - 02 Kimball | 102 | 28.4% | 55.2% |
| Hitchcock-Tulare Elementary - 05 Hitchcock | 116 | 24.1% | 53.7% |
| Sanborn Central Elementary - 06 Forestburg | 102 | 19.6% | 55.4% |
| Philip Elementary - 02 Philip | 131 | 25.2% | 48.4% |
| New Underwood Elementary - 02 New Underwood | 113 | 26.5% | 39.1% |
Matched among South Dakota elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Buffalo Elementary - 02 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.9% | #103 of 193 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 47.7% | #115 of 199 ▼ 21 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 50.0% | #104 of 202 ▼ 4 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 101 | #208 of 331 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 25.7% | #146 of 209 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
101
+19 (+23%) vs 2020
-12% since 1990-91, when it was 115
Student : Teacher
10.4:1
was 11.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 101 | 9.7 | 10.4:1 | 26% (26) |
| 2023-24 | 101 | 9.7 | 10.4:1 | 31% (31) |
| 2022-23 | 92 | 8.4 | 11.0:1 | 29% (27) |
| 2020-21 | 82 | 7 | 11.7:1 | 23% (19) |
| 2017-18 | 79 | 8 | 9.9:1 | 24% (19) |
| 2015-16 | 71 | 8 | 8.9:1 | 27% (19) |
| 2010-11 | 72 | 8 | 9.0:1 | 26% (19) |
| 2000-01 | 77 | 9 | 8.6:1 | 44% (34) |
| 1990-91 | 115 | 11 | 10.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Buffalo Elementary - 02.
Since 2017-18: students up 28% (79 to 101); teachers up 22% (8 to 9.7).
About Buffalo Elementary - 02
Buffalo Elementary - 02, located in Buffalo, South Dakota, is a small elementary school. The school offers kindergarten through 5 and enrolls 101 students. That puts enrollment 50% below the 204-student average for elementary schools in South Dakota.
Harding County School District 31-1 enrolls 227 students in 3 schools, including Buffalo Elementary - 02.
Buffalo Elementary - 02 is 95% White by enrollment. Other reported shares: 3% multiracial. That is in line with Harding County, where about 91% of residents are White. The diversity index for Buffalo Elementary - 02 is 10%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Its ratio of 10.4:1 is based on 9.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. Elementary schools in South Dakota average 15.4:1, 5.0 more students per teacher than here. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 26%. The average for public schools in Harding County is similar, at 27%.
Buffalo Elementary - 02 holds a B- allk12 Grade, placing it above 47% of South Dakota public elementary schools.
Buffalo Elementary - 02's actual average proficiency rate across its state test results (48.9%) and its predicted rate (52.5%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of South Dakota schools.
In Harding County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $80,441, about 30% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 4% of residents are in poverty. There are 5 public schools in the county, enrolling about 227, Buffalo Elementary - 02 among them.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Harding County High School - 01, is less than a tenth of a mile. There are at least 2 other public schools within five miles.
Locale: Rural: Remote. In NCES terms, the school is in rural territory far from an urban area.
Enrollment figures show a rise of 19 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25. The number of students per teacher dropped from 11.7 to 10.4 over 4 years.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about open houses, carpools, and field trips at Buffalo Elementary - 02. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Harding County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,148
Census ACS
Median income
$80,441
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
30%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
5
227 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Harding County School District 31-1
- Harding County High School - 01High · 66 students
- Harding County Middle School - 03Middle · 60 students
- Camp Crook Elementary - 08Combined
- Ludlow Elementary - 06Combined
Other schools in Buffalo
- Harding County High School - 01High · 66 students
- Harding County Middle School - 03Middle · 60 students
Other Buffalo Elementary schools
8 other US public schools in 7 states are named Buffalo Elementary. Buffalo Elementary - 02 is the 9th largest of the 9.
- Buffalo Elementary SchoolSarver, PA · 564 students
- Buffalo ElementaryBuffalo, SC · 483 students
- Buffalo Elementary SchoolKenova, WV · 402 students
- Buffalo Elementary SchoolBUFFALO, TX · 270 students
- Buffalo Elementary SchoolBuffalo, IA · 242 students
Nearby schools
- Harding County High School - 010.0 mi · 66
- Harding County Middle School - 030.0 mi · 60
Frequently asked questions
About Buffalo Elementary - 02How many students attend Buffalo Elementary - 02?
Buffalo Elementary - 02 enrolls approximately 101 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Buffalo Elementary - 02 serve?
Buffalo Elementary - 02 serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Elementary - 02?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Buffalo Elementary - 02 is approximately 10.4:1 (10 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Buffalo Elementary - 02?
Buffalo Elementary - 02 reports a student body of 95% White, 1% Hispanic, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Buffalo Elementary - 02?
Buffalo Elementary - 02 is overseen by Harding County School District 31-1 in Harding County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.