Enrollment
176
Elementary
DISTRICT 121 · STATE 204
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DE SMET SCHOOL DISTRICT 38-2·NCES 461785000162
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02
405 Ingalls Ave SW, De Smet, SD 57231 · (605) 854-3963 · Kingsbury County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL176 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 68% 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.
- BBeats 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
14.2:1
12 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
29%
51 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 20 | 11% |
| Kindergarten | 35 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 25 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 23 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 25 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 28 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 20 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (35) is 75% larger than its 5th grade class (20).
Student demographics
25%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 21% · 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 De Smet School District 38-2. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
60.3%
SD avg 50.3% . +10.3pp since 2022
Math
63.0%
SD avg 47.5% . +14.4pp since 2022
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 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 14 points.
SD Smarter Balanced results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 60.3% | 63.0% |
| 2023-24 | 59.7% | 58.3% |
| 2022-23 | 50.0% | 48.6% |
% 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
55.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
51.1%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% 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 Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02's state test result (55.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 this school | 176 | 29.0% | 55.4% |
| Hermosa Elementary - 04 Hermosa | 181 | 30.9% | 37.7% |
| Canistota Elementary - 02 Canistota | 141 | 28.4% | 52.9% |
| Viborg-Hurley Elementary - 02 Viborg | 153 | 26.8% | 60.5% |
| Stanley County Elementary - 08 Fort Pierre | 178 | 32.6% | 49.5% |
| Faulkton Elementary - 02 Faulkton | 185 | 26.5% | 76.6% |
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 Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 55.4% | #62 of 193 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.0% | #51 of 199 ▲ 16 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.3% | #54 of 202 ▼ 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 176 | #146 of 331 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 29.0% | #127 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
176
+26 (+17%) vs 2020
-11% since 1990-91, when it was 197
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
was 13.6:1
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 | 176 | 12.4 | 14.2:1 | 29% (51) |
| 2023-24 | 178 | 10.7 | 16.7:1 | 28% (50) |
| 2022-23 | 163 | 11.7 | 13.9:1 | 20% (33) |
| 2020-21 | 150 | 11 | 13.6:1 | 16% (24) |
| 2017-18 | 166 | 13.5 | 12.3:1 | 30% (50) |
| 2015-16 | 128 | 11 | 11.6:1 | 23% (29) |
| 2010-11 | 144 | 10 | 14.4:1 | 29% (42) |
| 2000-01 | 116 | 9 | 12.9:1 | 21% (24) |
| 1990-91 | 197 | 12 | 16.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02.
Since 2017-18: students up 6% (166 to 176); teachers down 8% (13.5 to 12.4).
About Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 is a public elementary school in De Smet, South Dakota. The student body numbers 176 students, from pre-K through 5.
De Smet School District 38-2, which runs Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02, has 3 schools and 362 students.
Most students at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 are White: 86% of enrollment. Other groups include 6% multiracial and 5% Hispanic. By the diversity index, Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 comes in at 25%.
Federal staffing data show 12.4 full-time-equivalent teachers at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 and a ratio of 14.2:1. That ratio is under the 15.4:1 average for elementary schools in South Dakota. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 29% of students. Across public schools in Kingsbury County, the average is about the same, 29%.
Measured against South Dakota public elementary schools, Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 receives a B+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
A school with Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02's lunch-eligibility share in South Dakota is predicted to score 51.1%. Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 scores 55.4%, 4.3 points above that line.
Within Kingsbury County, median household income is about $74,000, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Kingsbury County number 17 and enroll about 1,061.
De Smet Middle School - 03 is the closest public school, about 0.1 miles away in a straight line. Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 is one of several public schools in the area, with 2 others within five miles. Nearby schools with test data average 53.6% proficiency; Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 posts 55.4%.
The school is in rural territory far from an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Remote).
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 had 150 students in 2020-21 and 176 in 2024-25, a 17% increase.
Discussion on this page can cover sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Kingsbury County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
5,244
Census ACS
Median income
$74,000
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
17
1,061 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in De Smet School District 38-2
- De Smet High School - 01High · 95 students
- De Smet Middle School - 03Middle · 91 students
Other schools in De Smet
- De Smet High School - 01High · 95 students
- De Smet Middle School - 03Middle · 91 students
Other Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary. Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary SchoolPEARLAND, TX · 678 students
- Laura Ingalls Wilder ElementaryWoodinville, WA · 315 students
Nearby schools
- De Smet Middle School - 030.1 mi · 91
- De Smet High School - 010.1 mi · 95
- Lake Preston Elementary - 029.2 mi · 96
- Lake Preston High School - 019.2 mi · 41
- Lake Preston Middle School - 039.2 mi · 33
- Collins Colony Elementary - 0613.3 mi · 16
Frequently asked questions
About Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02How many students attend Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02?
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 enrolls approximately 176 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 serve?
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02?
Approximately 14.2:1 students per teacher at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02.
What is the student diversity at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02?
Student demographics at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 are roughly 86% White, 5% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 in?
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 is part of De Smet School District 38-2.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.