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South Dakota
Public School Ratings






South Dakota Public Schools

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:
  • Test Scores: Edfacts (U.S. Department of Education), State departments of education.
  • Expenditures: National Center for Education Statistics.
  • Educational Environment: American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau).
Date(s) & Update Frequency:
  • Test data: Reflects 2023 – 2024 school year.
  • Expenditures: 2022
  • Educational Environment: 2023 (latest available). Updated annually.
  • All data updated June 2025

Methodology:   Only NeighborhoodScout gives you nationally comparable school ranks based on test scores, so you can directly compare the quality of schools in any location. Read more about Scout's School Data

Overview

Public Schools Overview South Dakota School Districts by City
Number Of Students 147,232
Number Of South Dakota Schools 761
Number Of South Dakota School Districts 188
Spending Per Student $13,149

State Test Scores

Reading/English Language Arts Tests

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
80 60 40 20 0
47%
46%
50%
47%
50%
48%
30%
63%
47%
46%
50%
47%
50%
48%
30%
63%
    3rd Grade
    4th Grade
    5th Grade
    6th Grade
    7th Grade
    8th Grade
    10th Grade
    11th Grade
Reading Proficiency

Math Test

60 50 40 30 20 10 0
53%
48%
42%
43%
42%
41%
13%
37%
    3rd Grade
    4th Grade
    5th Grade
    6th Grade
    7th Grade
    8th Grade
    10th Grade
    11th Grade
Math Proficiency

School enrollment by group

Ethnic/Racial Groups This State Nation
White (non-hispanic) 71.1% 46.7%
Black 3.5% 15.8%
Hispanic 8.7% 30.1%
Asian Or Pacific Islander 1.6% 6.0%
American Indian Or Native Of Alaska 15.1% 1.4%
Special Needs Groups This State Nation
Economically Disadvantaged 36.5% 51.9%
English Language Learners 4.1% 10.0%
Students With Disabilities 15.8% 14.9%

Class Size (number of students per classroom teacher)

17.5 15 12.5 10 7.5 5 2.5 0
13.3
15.9
    AVG FOR STATE
    AVG FOR NATION

South Dakota Education Environment

Population State Nation
Population 919,318 334,914,895
Population Density (per sq. mile) 12 93
Population distribution by age STATE NATION
4 Years Old And Below 6.5% 5.7%
5-19 Years Old 20.7% 19.1%
20-44 Years Old 31.7% 33.3%
45-64 Years Old 23.5% 25.1%
65 Or Older 17.6% 16.8%
HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS STATE NATION
Number Of Households 358,552 120,745,577
Single Parent Households With Children 7.4% 8.3%
Adults With At Least A High School Diploma 93.0% 89.4%
Adults With At Least A Bachelor's Degree 31.1% 34.9%
HOUSEHOLD INCOME DISTRIBUTION STATE NATION
$150,000 or more 15.5% 22.0%
$100,000 - $149,999 18.2% 17.4%
$75,000 - $99,999 14.6% 12.7%
$50,000 - $74,999 17.8% 15.7%
$30,000 - $49,999 15.5% 13.8%
$15,000 - $29,999 10.9% 10.0%
$15,000 or less 7.4% 8.4%

Education Expenditures

For the State Per Student Total % of Total
Instructional Expenditures $6,439 $948,035,000 49.0%
Support Expenditures
Student $655 $96,397,000 5.0%
Staff $459 $67,585,000 3.5%
General Administration $376 $55,299,000 2.9%
School Administration $540 $79,572,000 4.1%
Operation $1,159 $170,584,000 8.8%
Transportation $408 $60,065,000 3.1%
Other $415 $61,077,000 3.2%
Total Support $4,011 $590,579,000 30.5%
Non-instructional Expenditures $2,698 $397,284,000 20.5%
Total Expenditures $13,149 $1,935,898,000 100.0%
For the Nation Per Student Total % of Total
Instructional Expenditures $9,169 $453,314,948,000 49.6%
Support Expenditures
Student $1,031 $50,976,033,477 5.6%
Staff $799 $39,519,417,000 4.3%
General Administration $308 $15,224,255,000 1.7%
School Administration $850 $42,029,112,000 4.6%
Operation $1,430 $70,704,769,000 7.7%
Transportation $613 $30,295,759,523 3.3%
Other $623 $30,798,344,000 3.4%
Total Support $5,654 $279,547,690,000 30.6%
Non-instructional Expenditures $3,675 $181,697,172,000 19.9%
Total Expenditures $18,499 $914,559,810,000 100.0%

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