The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in Science. The lowest is 52% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Madison Elementary - 07
Madison Elementary - 07 is the main elementary school in Madison, South Dakota, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Madison Central School District 39-2. It sits on the northwest side of a small city that doubles as the county seat of Lake County and the home of Dakota State University. The town blends residential streets, a traditional downtown, a university campus, and lakeside recreation between Lake Herman and Lake Madison. Publicly reported descriptions paint Madison as a community built around schools and churches, with an economy spread across agriculture, education, health care, manufacturing, and retail. DSU is a primary employer, and manufacturers in the area produce everything from farm implements to plastics and signs. The population has stayed fairly stable over recent years with a slight decline, and no major housing developments or growth projects surfaced in the search results.
The school itself is a mid-sized elementary by South Dakota standards, with a fairly even distribution across the six grade levels. Kindergarten is the largest single grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population that represents the next largest group, followed by smaller numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native, two-or-more-races, Black, and Asian students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Information on individualized education programs and English learner services was not available in the data provided, so those figures are left out rather than guessed.
On state assessments, Madison Elementary's results are solid and balanced across subjects. In math, roughly half of tested students in grades three through eight reached proficient or above on the SBAC assessment. English language arts proficiency came in slightly higher, and science, tested in a narrower grade band on the SDSA assessment, landed in a similar range. All three subjects showed participation at full enrollment, with every eligible student tested. These results place the school in a healthy middle ground: not at the top of the state, but clearly above struggling thresholds, with ELA and science nudging ahead of math. Average scale scores were not reported, so a deeper look at how students cluster above or below the proficiency line is not possible from this data. A parent wanting more detail on growth or subgroup performance may want to ask the school directly, since trend comparability is listed as unknown and no multi-year series was available.
The community context adds texture. Madison's housing market sits below both the state and national benchmarks for typical home values, which may appeal to families looking for affordability in a university-adjacent town. Rental data was not available. The price-to-income ratio suggests a market that is within reach for many local households relative to national patterns, though current mortgage rates add pressure to monthly costs. The town offers lakeside amenities, a walking trail, Prairie Village with its annual Steam Threshing Jamboree, and state park access nearby, giving families outdoor recreation options without leaving the area. The former Milwaukee Road depot, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, speaks to the town's rail-era roots.
We searched for recent district-level changes that might matter to parents, including referendums, curriculum shifts, capital projects, staffing changes, and policy updates, but found little of lasting parent-relevant impact reported publicly. The district operates three public schools plus a parochial elementary and an alternative program, all within the community. Madison Elementary does not carry charter or magnet status. Title I status was not specified in the data. Locale classification, staffing ratios, discipline data, attendance figures, and course access details were also absent, so those dimensions are not addressed here.
What the picture supports is a school functioning well in a stable small-city setting with a diversified local economy and university presence. The academic results are steady across reading, math, and science, with full participation and roughly half or more of students meeting proficiency bars. Families considering Madison Elementary are looking at a conventional public elementary in a town that mixes agricultural-industrial roots with college-town amenities and lakeside recreation, at housing costs that run below state and national medians. The gaps in the data, particularly around special populations and program offerings, are the places a parent would want to ask more questions.
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