Enrollment
153
Elementary
DISTRICT 55 · STATE 204
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WILLOW LAKE SCHOOL DISTRICT 12-3·NCES 467935000755
Willow Lake Elementary - 02
400 Garfield Ave, Willow Lake, SD 57278 · (605) 625-5945 · Clark County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL153 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 35% of South Dakota public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats 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
14.2:1
11 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 36.6:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
48%
74 students
DISTRICT 39% · 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 | 15 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 21 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 29 | 19% |
| Grade 2 | 23 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 17 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 26 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 22 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (21) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (22).
Student demographics
6%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 5% · 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 Willow Lake School District 12-3. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
38.7%
SD avg 50.3% . +1.4pp since 2022
Math
51.6%
SD avg 47.5% . +7.5pp since 2022
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 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 1 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 8 points.
SD Smarter Balanced results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 38.7% | 51.6% |
| 2023-24 | 37.3% | 39.0% |
| 2022-23 | 37.3% | 44.1% |
% 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
40.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
43.2%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% 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 Willow Lake Elementary - 02
Willow Lake Elementary - 02's state test result (40.4% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Lake Elementary - 02 this school | 153 | 48.4% | 40.4% |
| Whitewood Elementary - 04 Whitewood | 138 | 47.1% | 74.3% |
| Lemmon Elementary - 02 Lemmon | 139 | 48.2% | 56.2% |
| Newell Elementary - 02 Newell | 124 | 47.6% | 48.9% |
| Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 Wessington Springs | 145 | 41.4% | 54.1% |
| Waverly-South Shore Elementary - 02 Waverly | 128 | 50.8% | 34.1% |
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 Willow Lake Elementary - 02 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Dakota | In Clark County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.4% | #139 of 193 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 51.6% | #101 of 199 ▲ 48 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.7% | #150 of 202 ▲ 4 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 153 | #163 of 331 | #2 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 48.4% | #55 of 209 | N/A |
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
153
+31 (+25%) vs 2020
+12% since 1990-91, when it was 137
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
was 13.6:1
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 | 153 | 10.8 | 14.2:1 | 48% (74) |
| 2023-24 | 150 | 10.5 | 14.3:1 | 42% (63) |
| 2022-23 | 144 | 9.8 | 14.7:1 | 41% (59) |
| 2020-21 | 122 | 9 | 13.6:1 | 36% (44) |
| 2017-18 | 107 | 8.7 | 12.3:1 | 39% (42) |
| 2015-16 | 91 | 8 | 11.4:1 | 44% (40) |
| 2010-11 | 89 | 9 | 9.9:1 | 40% (36) |
| 2000-01 | 103 | 9 | 11.4:1 | 35% (36) |
| 1990-91 | 137 | 10 | 13.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Willow Lake Elementary - 02.
Since 2017-18: students up 43% (107 to 153); teachers up 23% (8.7 to 10.8).
About Willow Lake Elementary - 02
Willow Lake Elementary - 02 is a small elementary school in South Dakota, with an address in Willow Lake. In all, 153 students attend the school in pre-K through 5. The school is 25% below the average for elementary schools in South Dakota.
Willow Lake Elementary - 02 is part of a district of 6 schools: Willow Lake School District 12-3, with 344 students.
White students account for 97% of the school's enrollment. The school is also 3% Hispanic. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 6%.
Willow Lake Elementary - 02 reported 10.8 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, a ratio of 14.2:1. The school's 14.2:1 compares with an average of 15.4:1 for elementary schools in South Dakota. Roughly 48% of students at Willow Lake Elementary - 02 can receive free or reduced-price lunch. That is higher than the 36% average for public schools in Clark County.
On the allk12 Grade, Willow Lake Elementary - 02 lands at C+, ahead of 35% of South Dakota public elementary schools.
Willow Lake Elementary - 02 sits between the top and bottom 10% of South Dakota schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 40.4% and a predicted 43.2%.
For Clark County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $70,726 a year, roughly 20% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. Public schools in Clark County number 11, with about 820 students.
Measured in a straight line, Willow Lake High School - 01 is less than a tenth of a mile from Willow Lake Elementary - 02. Within five miles are 2 other public schools.
Locale data from NCES put Willow Lake Elementary - 02 in rural territory far from an urban area (Rural: Remote).
Enrollment figures show a gain of 31 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Willow Lake Elementary - 02. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Clark County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,917
Census ACS
Median income
$70,726
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
820 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Willow Lake School District 12-3
- Willow Lake High School - 01High · 69 students
- Willow Lake Middle School - 03Middle · 54 students
- Mayfield Colony Elementary - 04Elementary · 31 students
- Shamrock Colony Elementary - 05Elementary · 21 students
- Collins Colony Elementary - 06Elementary · 16 students
Other schools in Willow Lake
- Willow Lake High School - 01High · 69 students
- Willow Lake Middle School - 03Middle · 54 students
- Mayfield Colony Elementary - 04Elementary · 31 students
Other Willow Lake Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Willow Lake Elementary. Willow Lake Elementary - 02 is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Willow Lake Elementary SchoolIndianapolis, IN · 739 students
Nearby schools
- Willow Lake High School - 010.0 mi · 69
- Willow Lake Middle School - 030.0 mi · 54
- Mayfield Colony Elementary - 045.5 mi · 31
- Collins Colony Elementary - 066.4 mi · 16
- Shamrock Colony Elementary - 0515.7 mi · 21
- Fordham Colony Elementary - 0416.4 mi · 42
Frequently asked questions
About Willow Lake Elementary - 02How many students attend Willow Lake Elementary - 02?
Willow Lake Elementary - 02 enrolls approximately 153 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Willow Lake Elementary - 02 serve?
Willow Lake Elementary - 02 serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow Lake Elementary - 02?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Willow Lake Elementary - 02 is approximately 14.2:1 (11 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Willow Lake Elementary - 02?
At Willow Lake Elementary - 02, the student body is approximately 97% White, 3% Hispanic.
Is Willow Lake Elementary - 02 public or private?
Willow Lake Elementary - 02 is a public K-12 school, overseen by Willow Lake School District 12-3.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.