Enrollment
322
Elementary
DISTRICT 348 · STATE 204
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SPEARFISH SCHOOL DISTRICT 40-2·NCES 466693000392
West Elementary - 03
920 W King St, Spearfish, SD 57783 · (605) 717-1205 · Lawrence County
GRADES 01–02ELEMENTARY32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL322 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.5:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
17%
55 students
DISTRICT 18% · 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
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. 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
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Spearfish School District 40-2. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
57.9%
SD avg 50.3% . +3.7pp since 2022
Math
53.0%
SD avg 47.5% . -1.3pp since 2022
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 53 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 4 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 1 points.
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
56.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
56.0%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 56% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 56% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
322
-43 (-12%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
10.5:1
was 12.0:1
% White
88%
was 86%
% Hispanic
4%
was 5%
% Black
0%
was 1%
% Asian
0%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About West Elementary - 03
Located at 920 W King St, in Spearfish, South Dakota, West Elementary - 03 is a roomy elementary-level community that serves 322 students (grades 1 through 2), operated by Spearfish School District 40-2. Enrollment runs roughly 58% larger than the state mean of about 204.
Within Spearfish School District 40-2, which oversees 7 schools and 2,398 students, West Elementary - 03 is one campus in the system.
Demographically, West Elementary - 03 lists that the student body is overwhelmingly White (88%); the rest is composed of 5% multiracial, 4% Hispanic, 3% Native American. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.
Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, West Elementary - 03 has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.5:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.4:1 average. Around 17% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.
After controlling for student poverty, West Elementary - 03 performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 56.0%, the actual is 56.0%, a residual of +0.0 points.
Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Lawrence County put median household income runs about $73,384, about 33% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Lawrence County runs 14 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,183 students), of which West Elementary - 03 is one.
Nearest neighbor: Spearfish Middle School - 05, around 0.7 miles off. 6 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts West Elementary - 03 at 1st of 6; the average score across the group is 48.4%.
Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.
Trend over the last 7 years. West Elementary - 03's enrollment has declined 12% since 2018, when it stood at 365 (now 322). Class-load math has narrowed: from 12.0:1 in 2018 to 10.5:1 in 2025.
Inside the community feed, members of the West Elementary - 03 community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Lawrence County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
27,233
Census ACS
Median income
$73,384
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
14
3,183 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Spearfish School District 40-2
- Spearfish High School - 01High · 787 students
- Creekside Elementary - 07Elementary · 553 students
- Spearfish Middle School - 05Middle · 545 students
- Mountain View Elementary - 08Elementary · 168 students
- Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills High School - 10High · 21 students
- Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills Elementary - 09Middle · 2 students
Other schools in Spearfish
- Spearfish High School - 01High · 787 students
- Creekside Elementary - 07Elementary · 553 students
- Spearfish Middle School - 05Middle · 545 students
- Mountain View Elementary - 08Elementary · 168 students
- Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills High School - 10High · 21 students
- Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills Elementary - 09Middle · 2 students
Nearby schools
- Spearfish Middle School - 050.7 mi · 545
- Spearfish High School - 010.7 mi · 787
- Mountain View Elementary - 080.9 mi · 168
- Creekside Elementary - 071.2 mi · 553
- Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills Elementary - 092.7 mi · 2
- Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills High School - 102.7 mi · 21
Frequently asked questions
About West Elementary - 03How large is West Elementary - 03?
West Elementary - 03 enrolls approximately 322 students in grades 01-02.
Is West Elementary - 03 an elementary, middle, or high school?
West Elementary - 03 is an elementary school covering grades 01-02.
How many teachers does West Elementary - 03 have?
West Elementary - 03 employs 31 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.5:1.
What is the student diversity at West Elementary - 03?
Student demographics at West Elementary - 03 are roughly 88% White, 4% Hispanic, 0% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees West Elementary - 03?
West Elementary - 03 is overseen by Spearfish School District 40-2 in Lawrence County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.