Best Public Schools in Buffalo, SD

Summary:

The city of Buffalo, South Dakota is home to 3 schools serving students from elementary through high school, all part of the Harding County School District 31-1. The standout schools in this district are Harding County Middle School - 03, which has consistently ranked among the top 25% of South Dakota middle schools, and Harding County High School - 01, which has also been a top performer, ranking in the top 25% of South Dakota high schools for the past 2 years.

Harding County Middle School - 03 boasts strong academic performance, with English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates significantly higher than the state averages, particularly in the 7th grade. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 16.2, which may contribute to its success. In contrast, Harding County High School - 01 struggles with Mathematics proficiency, with only 20% of 11th graders proficient or better, compared to the state average of 35.56%.

Across the district, the free/reduced lunch rates range from 25% at Harding County High School - 01 to 29.35% at Buffalo Elementary - 02, indicating a relatively high proportion of economically disadvantaged students. Additionally, chronic absenteeism rates are a concern, particularly at the middle school and high school levels, which may impact student learning and achievement.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2024)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Buffalo Elementary - 02	Public	K-5	12474 Tipperary St	Buffalo	57720	Harding County	Harding County School District 31-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 375-3241	101	10	10.4	30.7%	97 (96.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	2 (2.0%)	53.1	102^nd of 201 public elementary schools	49.3%		37.6	135^th of 204 public elementary schools	33.8%	33	50.0	47.6					51.0	65.0	42.9					53.1	42.9			$15,085	$1,429	$13,656
Harding County High School - 01	Public	9-12	12474 Tipperary St	Buffalo	57720	Harding County	Harding County School District 31-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 375-3241	62	7	8.3	21.0%	60 (96.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.2%)	33.1	100^th of 141 public high schools	29.1%		77	23^rd of 138 public high schools	83.3%	77						66.7							20.0				33.3	$17,210	$806	$16,404
Harding County Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	12474 Tipperary St	Buffalo	57720	Harding County	Harding County School District 31-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 375-3241	58	4	15.2	31.0%	58 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59.7	53^rd of 147 public middle schools	63.9%		73.7	27^th of 150 public middle schools	82.0%	26			56.3	66.7	55.0		59.7			50.0	52.4	45.0		49.1		15.0		$14,278	$911	$13,367

Cities Near Buffalo

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank	Rank (0-5)
Camp Crook	15.76 mi	1
Ludlow	26.39 mi	1

See the top SD South Dakota cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Dakota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.