Longvalley Elementary - 10

As a very small elementary campus in Long Valley, South Dakota, Longvalley Elementary - 10 educates 22 students from grades K through 8, run under Kadoka Area School District 35-2. Compared to the state average of about 204 students per school, that is 89% below typical.

Across the 6 schools in Kadoka Area School District 35-2 (283 students total), Longvalley Elementary - 10 accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Longvalley Elementary - 10 records that 55% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 45% Native American. By comparison, Jackson County as a whole is about 37% White, so the school skews noticeably more White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school employs 4 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 5.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.4:1 average. An estimated 14% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Jackson County (around 72%), the school's rate is noticeably below typical.

With demographic context factored in, Longvalley Elementary - 10 falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 57.4%; this one comes in at 36.6%, -20.8 points off the demographic line.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Jackson County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $35,417 per year, 12% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 40%. In all, Jackson County runs 6 public schools (combined enrollment of about 547 students), of which Longvalley Elementary - 10 is one.

Crazy Horse School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 9.4 miles from this campus. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Longvalley Elementary - 10 at 3rd of 5; the average score across the group is 44.1%.

Longvalley Elementary - 10 operates from a countryside location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Longvalley Elementary - 10 has contracted 46%, going from 41 students in 2018 to 22 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 8.7:1 in 2018 to 5.1:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.