Montrose Elementary - 02

Located at 309 S Church Ave, in Montrose, South Dakota, Montrose Elementary - 02 is a small elementary school that caters to 108 students (grades pre-K through 5), one of the schools within Montrose School District 43-2. That puts it 47% leaner than the typical public school in South Dakota, which averages around 204 students.

Within Montrose School District 43-2, which oversees 4 schools and 266 students, Montrose Elementary - 02 is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Montrose Elementary - 02 reports that 93% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest breaks down as 4% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school employs 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.0:1. The state averages around 15.4:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 14% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is lower than McCook County's rate of about 23%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Montrose Elementary - 02 tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 57.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 56.7%.

In the area at large, census data for McCook County shows median household income runs about $83,852, roughly 30% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across McCook County's 12 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,172 students), Montrose Elementary - 02 is one campus in the mix.

Montrose High School - 01 is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Montrose Elementary - 02. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Montrose Elementary - 02 ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 49.5%.

Montrose Elementary - 02 operates from a low-density location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 4%: 112 students in 2018 compared to 108 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 12.0:1 in 2018 to 11.0:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.