Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Summary:

Tatanka Elementary STEM School is a public elementary school in Buffalo, Minnesota, serving 452 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. While the school is part of the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools district, which is ranked 199 out of 463 districts in the state, Tatanka Elementary has seen a decline in its own performance over the years.

Tatanka Elementary STEM School has a significantly higher percentage of white students (89.38%) compared to the state average, and its performance on the MCA-III assessments is consistently lower than the district and state averages, particularly in math and science. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's overall math proficiency rate was 38.99%, compared to 48.72% for the district and 45.47% for the state. Additionally, the school's statewide ranking has dropped from 256 out of 870 Minnesota elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 659 out of 881 schools in 2023-2024, with its SchoolDigger rating declining from 4 stars to 1 star.

However, Tatanka Elementary STEM School's special education and low socioeconomic status students perform relatively better, ranking in the top half of Minnesota elementary schools in these categories. When compared to nearby schools in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose district, such as Montrose Elementary School of Innov and Discovery Elementary, Tatanka's performance is generally lower, particularly in math and reading proficiency rates. This suggests that there may be opportunities for the school to learn from the successful practices of its neighboring schools and implement strategies to improve its overall academic outcomes.


Detail:

Public K-5

 703 8th St NE
       Buffalo, MN  55313-1897


(763) 682-8600

District: Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
659th of 881 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,828 Help


Students who attend Tatanka Elementary STEM School usually attend:

Middle:    Buffalo Community Middle
High:    Buffalo Senior High

Student/teacher ratio:  14.6 Help
Number of students:  452

Racial breakdown:

White:
89.4%
African American:
3.3%
Two or more races:
3.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  40.9% Help


 See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

 Compare Tatanka Elementary STEM School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Tatanka Elementary STEM School ranks worse than 74.8% of elementary schools in Minnesota. It also ranks last among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 29.37. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Tatanka Elementary STEM School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools District. Racial makeup is: White (89.4%), African American (3.3%), two or more races (3.3%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 40.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Tatanka Elementary STEM School is 14.6, which is the 3rd best among 6 elementary schools in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Tatanka Elementary STEM School employs 30.8 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Tatanka Elementary STEM School is $10,828, which is the lowest among 6 elementary schools in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Tatanka Elementary STEM School:

SchoolDigger ranks Tatanka Elementary STEM School 659th of 881 Minnesota public elementary schools. (See Tatanka Elementary STEM School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools 199th of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)


What do you think?

Your rating for Tatanka Elementary STEM School?

Rank History for Tatanka Elementary STEM School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 70.83 166th 674 75.4%
2004 60.13 297th 676 56.1%
2005 57.93 335th 685 51.1%
2006 59.37 351st 756 53.6%
2007 51.04 467th 777 39.9%
2008 54.38 429th 781 45.1%
2010 61.26 362nd 803 54.9%
2011 64.42 324th 814 60.2%
2012 62.17 367th 820 55.2%
2013 62.95 336th 824 59.2%
2014 62.23 351st 826 57.5%
2015 58.78 409th 840 51.3%
2016 68.57 276th 848 67.5%
2017 70.37 258th 853 69.8%
2018 69.87 258th 847 69.5%
2019 69.88 256th 870 70.6%
2021 59.40 385th 869 55.7%
2022 51.28 486th 858 43.4%
2023 46.48 514th 845 39.2%
2024 29.37 659th 881 25.2%
See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 72.61 96th 463 79.3%
2019 48.62 284th 515 44.9%
2021 36.22 296th 417 29.0%
2022 43.12 303rd 500 39.4%
2023 47.25 269th 524 48.7%
2024 37.96 371st 572 35.1%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 64.07 247th 728 66.1%
2019 81.53 66th 740 91.1%
2021 63.94 216th 683 68.4%
2022 61.86 225th 663 66.1%
2023 44.76 451st 774 41.7%
2024 25.62 640th 793 19.3%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 67.18 264th 774 65.9%
2019 69.68 229th 787 70.9%
2021 51.71 438th 783 44.1%
2022 51.15 441st 799 44.8%
2023 40.97 523rd 787 33.5%
2024 27.79 618th 809 23.6%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 69.46 238th 779 69.4%
2019 66.53 284th 798 64.4%
2021 63.07 298th 784 62.0%
2022 48.43 478th 808 40.8%
2023 49.20 448th 799 43.9%
2024 30.42 618th 826 25.2%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 55.10 326th 712 54.2%
2019 51.90 361st 722 50.0%
2021 47.11 391st 710 44.9%
2022 35.47 529th 725 27.0%
2023 27.27 588th 712 17.4%
2024 11.48 698th 730 4.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Tatanka Elementary STEM School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4.5)
50%

50%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Open Quote I love Tatanka. Not every Elementary School Principal personally stands at the entrance and welcomes each kid to school every morning. I love how involved all the teachers and staff are with each child. The STEM program is amazing, it takes a step further into the learn curriculum Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Open Quote They are initiating STEM in 2012-2013 and also offer an advanced program for qualified students called QUEST. The extra activities scheduled throughout the school year presented by the PTO bring families and classmates together. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Tatanka Elementary STEM School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 560 0 7 0 1 n/a n/a 0 568
1989 589 1 9 2 0 n/a n/a 0 601
1990 616 0 7 5 1 n/a n/a 0 629
1991 593 1 6 3 2 n/a n/a 0 605
1992 619 3 7 2 1 n/a n/a 0 632
1993 592 2 7 0 0 n/a n/a 0 601
1994 579 1 8 2 0 n/a n/a 0 590
1995 601 1 3 8 1 n/a n/a 0 614
1996 601 1 3 8 1 n/a n/a 0 614
1997 628 1 2 6 1 n/a n/a 0 638
1998 510 2 1 5 1 n/a n/a 0 519
1999 538 0 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 542
2000 514 5 1 5 3 n/a n/a 0 528
2001 504 8 0 8 8 n/a n/a 0 528
2002 583 7 0 13 4 n/a n/a 0 607
2003 583 7 0 13 4 n/a n/a 0 607
2004 647 13 3 15 5 n/a n/a 0 683
2005 661 16 3 10 6 n/a n/a 0 696
2006 643 13 6 11 7 n/a n/a 0 680
2007 443 8 7 12 6 n/a n/a 0 476
2008 446 9 6 22 4 n/a n/a 0 487
2009 462 10 6 19 8 n/a n/a 0 505
2010 451 14 10 12 5 n/a n/a 0 492
2011 481 9 8 16 2 0 18 0 534
2012 482 12 6 18 5 0 18 0 541
2013 538 11 7 17 5 1 25 0 604
2014 460 12 4 15 4 1 28 0 524
2015 446 10 2 15 3 1 33 0 510
2016 445 11 3 12 3 1 32 0 507
2017 465 11 3 12 6 3 28 0 528
2018 434 13 2 15 4 3 26 0 497
2019 457 14 1 12 5 2 25 0 516
2020 453 23 1 14 6 1 24 0 522
2021 386 18 2 19 6 1 24 0 456
2022 384 15 3 21 3 0 17 0 443
2023 404 15 3 14 1 0 15 0 452

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Tatanka Elementary STEM School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 568 29.8 19.0 9
1989 601 29.5 20.3 8.8
1990 629 31.0 20.2 9.7
1991 605 32.6 18.5 11.7
1992 632 32.1 19.6 12.5
1993 601 35.5 16.9 14.5
1994 590 36.3 16.3 12.9
1995 614 38.5 15.9 15.1
1996 614 38.5 15.9 15.1
1997 638 37.1 17.2 16.9
1998 519 n/a 0.0 14.8
1999 542 36.5 14.8 14.4
2000 528 33.6 15.7 25.2
2001 528 32.2 16.4 26.1
2002 607 31.2 19.5 26.9
2003 607 31.2 19.5 26.9
2004 683 36.7 18.6 27.5
2005 696 36.0 19.3 25.3
2006 680 40.3 16.9 24.1
2007 476 26.6 17.9 20.4
2008 487 27.8 17.5 23.2
2009 505 28.6 17.7 27.9
2010 492 28.3 17.3 31.3
2011 534 28.6 18.6 33.9
2012 541 29.4 18.3 32.3
2013 604 33.7 17.9 34.1
2014 524 30.6 17.0 33.2
2015 510 31.0 16.4 29.8
2016 507 29.0 17.4 32
2017 528 29.3 18.0 31.4
2018 497 27.9 17.7 34.2
2019 516 31.9 16.1 29.8
2020 522 31.5 16.5 31.6
2021 456 28.9 15.7 25.2
2022 443 26.0 17.0 25.3
2023 452 30.8 14.6 40.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Tatanka Elementary STEM School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 568 29.8 19.0 9
1989 601 29.5 20.3 8.8
1990 629 31.0 20.2 9.7
1991 605 32.6 18.5 11.7
1992 632 32.1 19.6 12.5
1993 601 35.5 16.9 14.5
1994 590 36.3 16.3 12.9
1995 614 38.5 15.9 15.1
1996 614 38.5 15.9 15.1
1997 638 37.1 17.2 16.9
1998 519 n/a 0.0 14.8
1999 542 36.5 14.8 14.4
2000 528 33.6 15.7 25.2
2001 528 32.2 16.4 26.1
2002 607 31.2 19.5 26.9
2003 607 31.2 19.5 26.9
2004 683 36.7 18.6 27.5
2005 696 36.0 19.3 25.3
2006 680 40.3 16.9 24.1
2007 476 26.6 17.9 20.4
2008 487 27.8 17.5 23.2
2009 505 28.6 17.7 27.9
2010 492 28.3 17.3 31.3
2011 534 28.6 18.6 33.9
2012 541 29.4 18.3 32.3
2013 604 33.7 17.9 34.1
2014 524 30.6 17.0 33.2
2015 510 31.0 16.4 29.8
2016 507 29.0 17.4 32
2017 528 29.3 18.0 31.4
2018 497 27.9 17.7 34.2
2019 516 31.9 16.1 29.8
2020 522 31.5 16.5 31.6
2021 456 28.9 15.7 25.2
2022 443 26.0 17.0 25.3
2023 452 30.8 14.6 40.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $10,828

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Tatanka Elementary STEM School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 256th of 870 Elementary schoolsRanks 514th of 845 Elementary schools
 31.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Tatanka Elementary STEM School)70.156.9
 13.2%
   3rd Grade Math (Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools)78.267.3
 10.9%
   3rd Grade Math (Minnesota)65.659.1
 6.5%
3rd Grade Reading (Tatanka Elementary STEM School)5244.4
 7.5%
   3rd Grade Reading (Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools)62.159.3
 2.8%
   3rd Grade Reading (Minnesota)54.647.4
 7.2%
4th Grade Math (Tatanka Elementary STEM School)70.546.3
 24.2%
   4th Grade Math (Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools)7359.4
 13.7%
   4th Grade Math (Minnesota)63.957.1
 6.8%
4th Grade Reading (Tatanka Elementary STEM School)62.124.2
 37.9%
   4th Grade Reading (Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools)68.243.9
 24.3%
   4th Grade Reading (Minnesota)55.448.4
 7.1%
5th Grade Math (Tatanka Elementary STEM School)55.836
 19.8%
   5th Grade Math (Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools)60.148.7
 11.4%
   5th Grade Math (Minnesota)5244.4
 7.6%
5th Grade Reading (Tatanka Elementary STEM School)77.966.7
 11.2%
   5th Grade Reading (Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools)77.468.8
 8.6%
   5th Grade Reading (Minnesota)65.858.7
 7%
5th Grade Science (Tatanka Elementary STEM School)77.753.3
 24.3%
   5th Grade Science (Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools)70.459.2
 11.2%
   5th Grade Science (Minnesota)54.948.4
 6.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students516452
 12.4%
African American1415
 7.1%
American Indian51
 80%
Asian13
 200%
Hispanic1214
 16.7%
Pacific Islander20
 100%
White457404
 11.6%
Two or More Races2515
 40%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients29.8%40.9%
 11.1%


Schools Near Tatanka Elementary STEM School









Frequently Asked Questions about Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Students who attend Tatanka Elementary STEM School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Buffalo Community Middle
High : Buffalo Senior High

Tatanka Elementary STEM School ranks 659th of 881 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 452 students attended Tatanka Elementary STEM School.

Students at Tatanka Elementary STEM School are 89% White, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.


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





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