The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Andes Central Middle School - 04
Andes Central Middle School serves the middle grades in Lake Andes, South Dakota, within the Andes Central School District. The town is a small rural county seat for Charles Mix County, sitting adjacent to the Yankton Sioux Reservation. It blends residential streets, government buildings, and proximity to the Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge, which anchors the area as a natural resource and public access destination.
The student body is small for a middle school. Every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school squarely among those serving an economically disadvantaged population. A majority of students identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, with a smaller share identifying as White and another portion identifying as two or more races. A handful of students identify as Hispanic. This demographic profile mirrors the broader Lake Andes community, where a large share of the population identifies as American Indian. The school does not report IEP or English learner figures, so those populations are not visible in the available data.
On South Dakota's state assessments, proficiency rates are low across all three tested subjects. Math results are particularly weak, with only a small fraction of tested students reaching proficiency. English language arts is somewhat better but still low. Science proficiency is the weakest of the three, though only a small number of students sat for the science exam, which is typical for a middle school where science is assessed at a single grade level. Participation was full, meaning every enrolled student took the assessments. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking about instructional supports, intervention programs, and the school's plan for addressing these proficiency levels.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to tell whether these results represent a decline, an improvement, or a steady pattern. Average scale scores were also missing from the reported data.
Because this school serves only middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report. No civil rights data, course access information, staffing figures, attendance records, discipline data, or program offerings were provided. These gaps mean the picture here is limited to enrollment, demographics, and assessment results.
The community itself is experiencing population decline rather than growth, with no major housing developments or commercial expansions identified in publicly reported sources. The local employer base appears concentrated in county government, the school district, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the nearby refuge. The town is compact, and in principle most destinations are reachable on foot, though no formal walkability data exists. Street life centers on community events rather than everyday commercial activity. Fish Days in early summer and the Fort Randall pow wow in late summer serve as cultural gathering points, and the Prairie School-style county courthouse anchors the civic core. YST Transit connects the town to nearby Marty, Ravinia, and Wagner.
The district brief turned up little of lasting parent-relevant impact. Publicly reported information returned basic district profile and fiscal data but no evidence of recent referendums, curriculum changes, property-tax shifts, or other programmatic shifts. A parent looking for recent strategic priorities or changes would need to contact the district directly.
What this school offers is a small, rural middle school experience in a community with deep cultural roots and civic identity, serving a predominantly American Indian student body in an economically disadvantaged setting. The assessment results are a soft spot, and families considering this school should ask direct questions about academic supports, classroom resources, and how the school is working to raise proficiency.
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