Enrollment
203
Elementary
DISTRICT 148 · STATE 204
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MCLAUGHLIN SCHOOL DISTRICT 15-2·NCES 464638000415
McLaughlin Elementary - 02
601 Main, McLaughlin, SD 57642 · (605) 823-4484 · Corson County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL203 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 4% of South Dakota public elementary schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats 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
11.0:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 9.1:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
203 students
DISTRICT 100% · 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 | 12 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 33 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 32 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 34 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 34 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 21 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 37 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (33) is 11% smaller than its 5th grade class (37).
Student demographics
10%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 7% · 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 McLaughlin School District 15-2. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
11.1%
SD avg 50.3% . -2.9pp since 2023
Math
7.4%
SD avg 47.5% . -5.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 11 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 7 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all South Dakota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 47. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 5 points.
SD Smarter Balanced results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 11.1% | 7.4% |
| 2023-24 | 14.0% | 12.8% |
% 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
11.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
22.1%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 11% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 22% 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 McLaughlin Elementary - 02
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| McLaughlin Elementary - 02 this school | 203 | 100.0% | 11.5% |
| Isna Wica Owayawa Oglala | 230 | 98.7% | N/A |
| Batesland School - 01 Batesland | 175 | 100.0% | N/A |
| Dupree Elementary - 02 Dupree | 203 | 100.0% | 27.1% |
| Pierre Indian Learning Center Pierre | 156 | 98.1% | N/A |
| Pahin Sinte Owayawa Porcupine | 155 | 98.1% | N/A |
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 McLaughlin Elementary - 02 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 11.5% | #190 of 193 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 7.4% | #198 of 199 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 11.1% | #199 of 202 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 203 | #131 of 331 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.0:1 | #13 of 131 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 10.4% | #125 of 131 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 100% | #5 of 209 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.9% | #63 of 87 |
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
203
+6 (+3%) vs 2020
-27% since 1990-91, when it was 278
Student : Teacher
11.0:1
was 9.8:1
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 | 203 | 18.5 | 11.0:1 | 100% (203) |
| 2023-24 | 209 | 18.7 | 11.2:1 | 100% (209) |
| 2022-23 | 203 | 18.6 | 10.9:1 | 100% (203) |
| 2020-21 | 197 | 20 | 9.8:1 | 100% (197) |
| 2017-18 | 218 | 19.2 | 11.3:1 | 100% (218) |
| 2015-16 | 245 | 27 | 9.1:1 | 100% (245) |
| 2010-11 | 237 | 24 | 9.9:1 | 99% (234) |
| 2000-01 | 224 | 23 | 9.7:1 | 80% (180) |
| 1990-91 | 278 | 21 | 13.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for McLaughlin Elementary - 02.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (218 to 203); teachers down 4% (19.2 to 18.5).
About McLaughlin Elementary - 02
McLaughlin Elementary - 02 is a mid-sized elementary school in McLaughlin, South Dakota. The school counted 203 students in 2024-25, covering pre-K through 5.
In McLaughlin School District 15-2, 3 schools enroll a combined 443 students.
Of every 100 students at McLaughlin Elementary - 02, about 95 are Native American. Smaller groups are 3% multiracial. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 10%.
McLaughlin Elementary - 02 has 18.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of about 11.0:1. The school's 11.0:1 compares with an average of 15.4:1 for elementary schools in South Dakota. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, often used to gauge student poverty, is 100%. Public schools in Corson County average a similar 99%.
On the allk12 Grade, McLaughlin Elementary - 02 lands at F, ahead of 4% of South Dakota public elementary schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for McLaughlin Elementary - 02 is 22.1%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 11.5%.
In Corson County, where the school is located, the median household earns about $46,406 a year, roughly 19% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 34%. Public schools in Corson County number 11, with about 858 students.
McLaughlin Middle School - 03 is the nearest public school to McLaughlin Elementary - 02, less than a tenth of a mile away. Within five miles of McLaughlin Elementary - 02, there are 2 other public schools. Its average proficiency rate of 11.5% is below the 21.4% average for nearby schools.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Rural: Remote: in rural territory far from an urban area.
The 2020-21-to-2024-25 change in enrollment was a 3% gain, from 197 to 203. The student-to-teacher ratio increased from 9.8:1 in 2020-21 to 11.0:1 in 2024-25.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Corson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,806
Census ACS
Median income
$46,406
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
34%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
858 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in McLaughlin School District 15-2
- McLaughlin High School - 01High · 155 students
- McLaughlin Middle School - 03Middle · 85 students
Other schools in McLaughlin
- McLaughlin High School - 01High · 155 students
- McLaughlin Middle School - 03Middle · 85 students
Nearby schools
- McLaughlin Middle School - 030.1 mi · 85
- McLaughlin High School - 010.1 mi · 155
- Little Eagle School9.3 mi · 62
- Rock Creek Grant School13.5 mi · 50
- SELFRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL16.7 mi · 45
- SELFRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL16.7 mi · 30
Frequently asked questions
About McLaughlin Elementary - 02How large is McLaughlin Elementary - 02?
McLaughlin Elementary - 02 enrolls approximately 203 students in grades PK-05.
Is McLaughlin Elementary - 02 an elementary, middle, or high school?
McLaughlin Elementary - 02 is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does McLaughlin Elementary - 02 have?
McLaughlin Elementary - 02 employs 19 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.0:1.
How diverse is McLaughlin Elementary - 02?
McLaughlin Elementary - 02 reports a student body of 2% White, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees McLaughlin Elementary - 02?
McLaughlin Elementary - 02 is overseen by McLaughlin School District 15-2 in Corson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.