The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Math. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on O M Tiffany Elementary - 11
O.M. Tiffany Elementary sits on the northeast side of Aberdeen, a regional hub for northeastern South Dakota and the seat of Brown County. Aberdeen blends residential neighborhoods with a diversified economy built on healthcare, education, manufacturing, finance, and agriculture. The city grew from a railroad-driven wholesale distribution center into a regional agricultural center, with grain terminals, processing facilities, and ethanol plants expanding alongside Northern State University and two hospitals. Publicly reported sources describe a slight population decline in recent years, running against growth trends seen in some other South Dakota cities. The city is car-oriented, with no fixed-route public transit, though demand-response service is available. Parks and walking trails are referenced as community amenities, and the civic and cultural institutions cluster downtown while schools occupy separate campuses spread across town.
O.M. Tiffany is one of six elementary schools in the Aberdeen School District 06-1, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary school in this district, with fairly even distribution across the grade levels. The student body is majority white, with a Hispanic population that represents the next largest share, followed by students identifying as two or more races. American Indian, Black, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each make up smaller portions. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Data on English learners and special education enrollment was not available, so those population sizes remain unknown here.
On state assessments, O.M. Tiffany shows a mixed academic picture. Math proficiency landed in a middling range, with somewhat fewer than half of tested students meeting or exceeding the proficiency bar. English language arts results were similar, sitting just below the math figure. Science proficiency was notably lower, with only a small fraction of tested students reaching proficiency. The science assessment covers a narrower set of grade levels, which means fewer students were tested, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how science instruction is structured across the building. Participation was full across all three subjects, so the results reflect the whole tested population rather than a partial sample. Average scale scores were not reported, and no multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from this data whether performance is rising, falling, or holding steady.
The housing market around the school is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code sit below the South Dakota state benchmark and well below the national figure, and rents are modest. The price-to-income ratio suggests that buying a home in this area is within reach for many households earning a typical income, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a median-value home exceeds typical rent by a meaningful but not dramatic margin. Home values have been appreciating at a healthy year-over-year rate, which points to a market with some upward momentum even as the city's overall population has edged downward.
We looked for the district's strategic priorities and any recent parent-relevant changes such as referendums, curriculum updates, or property tax shifts, but found little in available sources beyond basic enrollment and financial data, so we left that out rather than guess. No program offerings, course access details, staffing ratios, attendance data, or discipline information were provided for this school, so those aspects cannot be characterized here. Similarly, no comparison data positioning O.M. Tiffany against other schools in its county was available, so we cannot say how it stacks up against its neighbors on the measures above.
What the available data does convey is an elementary school serving a economically diverse student population in a mid-sized plains city that functions as a regional center. Academic results are strongest in math and English language arts, where performance is middling, and weakest in science. Families considering O.M. Tiffany would be looking at a school with full assessment participation, a student body reflecting a mix of backgrounds, and a community where housing costs remain manageable relative to income. The gaps in the data, particularly around English learners, special education, programs, and staffing, mean a family would want to ask the school directly about those dimensions to round out the picture.
See more original research from School Decision →