Early Learning Center - 04

Early Learning Center - 04 is one of the compact elementary-level communitys in Wagner, South Dakota, overseen by Wagner Community School District 11-4, with 102 students on its rolls from grade pre-K. That puts it 50% below the typical public school in South Dakota, which averages around 204 students.

Early Learning Center - 04 is one of 4 schools operated by Wagner Community School District 11-4, a district that hosts 919 students overall.

On demographics, Early Learning Center - 04 reports that 53% of students identify as Native American, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder comes out to 36% White, 11% multiracial.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 6 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.8:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.4:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 100% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is north of Charles Mix County's rate of about 80%.

Across the wider county, Charles Mix County reports that median household earnings sit near $64,038, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Charles Mix County runs 14 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,966 students), of which Early Learning Center - 04 is one.

Wagner High School - 01 is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 3 other public schools cluster around Early Learning Center - 04.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Early Learning Center - 04 has decreased 56%, going from 234 students in 2018 to 102 in 2025. The White share of enrollment expanded from 27% to 36% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 20.2:1 in 2018 to 16.8:1 in 2025.

On allk12, members of the Early Learning Center - 04 community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.