Wakpala Elementary - 02

Wakpala Elementary - 02 is a K-5 school of small scale in Wakpala, South Dakota, run under Smee School District 15-3, enrolling 95 students in grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 53% smaller than the state mean of about 204.

Smee School District 15-3 runs 3 schools in total, collectively educating 174 students. Wakpala Elementary - 02 is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Wakpala Elementary - 02 shows that nearly all students (97%) are Native American. The remainder is composed of 2% White.

On the income-and-resources front, The school employs 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 9.8:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.4:1 average. Roughly 100% of students at Wakpala Elementary - 02 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Wakpala Elementary - 02 sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 22.1%; this one delivers 30.2%.

Around the school, census data for Corson County shows the typical household earns roughly $46,406 per year, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 34%. In all, Corson County runs 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 858 students), of which Wakpala Elementary - 02 is one.

Wakpala 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 Wakpala Elementary - 02. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Wakpala Elementary - 02 at 4th of 5; the average score across the group is 43.5%.

Wakpala Elementary - 02 operates from a small-town location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Wakpala Elementary - 02 has ticked up 4%, going from 91 students in 2018 to 95 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 8.6:1 in 2018 to 9.8:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.