Dell Rapids Elementary - 02

Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 is an elementary campus of well-populated scale in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, overseen by Dell Rapids School District 49-3, caters to 355 students in grades K through 4. By comparison, South Dakota's public schools average about 204 students each, so Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 sits 74% bigger than that benchmark.

Across the 3 schools in Dell Rapids School District 49-3 (965 students total), Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 lists that 91% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Other groups include 4% Hispanic, 2% multiracial, 2% Native American. By comparison, Minnehaha County as a whole is about 80% White, so the school skews considerably more White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.9:1. The state averages around 15.4:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 13% of students at Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Minnehaha County (around 42%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

With demographic context factored in, Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 57.8%; this one delivers 72.2%, a residual of +14.3 points.

In the broader community, Minnehaha County reports that median household earnings sit near $76,880, about 35% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 is one of 83 public schools in Minnehaha County (combined enrollment of about 34,919 students).

Nearest neighbor: Dell Rapids Middle School - 03, around 0.8 miles off. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 51.4%.

The school occupies an outlying site.

Over the past 7-year window. Dell Rapids Elementary - 02's enrollment has ticked down 5% since 2018, when it stood at 372 (now 355). Class-load math has tightened: from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 12.9:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.