Irene’s public schools score below 82% of South Dakota districts
The public schools Irene’s kids attend trail 82% of South Dakota’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
The short version on Irene’s schools
Irene’s schools are very small
All of Irene’s public school students add up to 132 children, with about 14 per teacher. That means real individual attention, but also that a single class can swing the scores from year to year. Every school ↓
Irene shares its schools with neighboring towns
Every school on Irene’s path is shared: Irene - Wakonda Elementary - 02, Irene - Wakonda Jr. High - 04 and Irene - Wakonda High School - 01. Turkey Valley Township, Star Township and Marindahl Township send their kids to all the same schools. From grade 1, they’re joined by students from Daneville Township. The high school earns the best grade on the path (B+); the middle school earns the lowest (D). See the path ↓
Low even next to similar towns
It isn’t only a matter of income. Among the 313 South Dakota towns with similar household incomes, Irene still scores better than just 17%. How it compares ↓
The strongest schools in the area
Irene outscores all four towns that border it. The whole area is strong: even the lowest-scoring neighbor, Marindahl Township, earns C−. Compare ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Test scores are from 2020–21, a pandemic year, so treat small gaps with caution.
How Irene compares
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on South Dakota’s state tests against the state average. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of South Dakota only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Irene.
The district
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
How students score
Irene vs. its neighbors
Irene’s schools rank 1st of 5 among the towns that share its borders. School Grade, by percentile among South Dakota districts.
Every school in Irene
2 schools. Grades are based on state tests and graduation. Any other ratings are made by neighbors.
Parents talk
What Irene families are saying about school.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Colleges near Irene
There’s no college in Irene, but 2 are within 30 miles. The closest is Mount Marty University in Yankton, 19.3 miles away.
Straight-line distance from the center of Irene. Degree-granting colleges with students on campus · College Scorecard · IPEDS.
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results, graded within South Dakota. Stars are from neighbors.