South Dakota
727 Schools172 Districts148K Students
$16,272
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
+13% nat'l35.5%
Free Lunch Rate
-16.7pp vs nat'l78.1%
Graduation Rate
-8.4pp vs nat'l56/100
Opportunity Score
ModerateAbout South Dakota Public Schools
South Dakota has 150+ school districts and one of the lowest per-pupil spending levels in the Midwest, despite a relatively healthy state budget supported by no state income tax. Teacher compensation has long been a challenge — South Dakota historically ranked last or second-to-last nationally in average teacher salary, and a 2016 ballot measure (Referred Law 16) raised teacher pay funded by a half-cent sales tax increase. The state's seven tribal school districts serve Lakota and Dakota students on reservation lands, with significant federal Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school involvement. Sioux Falls School District is the state's largest and most diverse, serving a refugee and immigrant population that has grown significantly. South Dakota uses the Dakota STEP/Smarter Balanced assessments.
Largest District
Sioux Falls School District 49-5
25K students
Highest Per-Pupil
South Central 26-5
$44,930/student
Top Graduation Rate
Yankton School District 63-3
97.5% grad rate
School Districts (172)
Per-pupil spending in South Dakota ranges from $9,997 to $44,930 across districts with available data. State avg: $16,272.
| District | Schools | Students | Per-Pupil | Grad Rate | Free Lunch | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Districts — 10,000+ Students | ||||||
| Sioux Falls School District 49-5 | 41 | 25K | $12,503↓23% | 84.3%↑8% | 38.7%↑9% | 51 |
| Rapid City Area School District 51-4 | 27 | 13K | $11,988↓26% | 81.3% | 40.9%↑15% | 39 |
| Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students | ||||||
| Harrisburg School District 41-2 | 10 | 5,912 | $16,060 | 89.0%↑14% | 11.6%↓67% | — |
| Brandon Valley School District 49-2 | 12 | 4,949 | $11,271↓31% | 96.0%↑23% | 13.1%↓63% | 49 |
| Aberdeen School District 06-1 | 10 | 4,326 | $11,547↓29% | 90.0%↑15% | 33.6%↓5% | 57 |
| Watertown School District 14-4 | 9 | 3,791 | $12,432↓24% | 92.0%↑18% | 27.6%↓22% | 53 |
| Brookings School District 05-1 | 6 | 3,431 | $11,493↓29% | 87.0%↑11% | 20.3%↓43% | 59 |
| Meade School District 46-1 | 11 | 3,068 | $10,829↓33% | 87.0%↑11% | 26.3%↓26% | 49 |
| Yankton School District 63-3 | 6 | 3,036 | $11,058↓32% | 97.5%↑25% | 30.7%↓13% | 54 |
| Huron School District 02-2 | 9 | 2,917 | $13,471↓17% | 82.0% | 57.7%↑63% | 59 |
| Pierre School District 32-2 | 5 | 2,762 | $11,329↓30% | 82.0% | 25.8%↓27% | 46 |
| Douglas School District 51-1 | 5 | 2,750 | $12,797↓21% | 97.5%↑25% | 27.6%↓22% | 49 |
| Mitchell School District 17-2 | 9 | 2,735 | $10,807↓34% | 92.0%↑18% | 34.3% | 55 |
| Spearfish School District 40-2 | 7 | 2,438 | $11,642↓28% | 97.5%↑25% | 12.8%↓64% | — |
| Tea Area School District 41-5 | 6 | 2,362 | $11,223↓31% | 97.5%↑25% | 12.6%↓65% | 52 |
| Oglala Lakota County 65-1 | 6 | 1,798 | $27,509↑69% | — | 100.0%↑182% | 52 |
| Vermillion School District 13-1 | 4 | 1,436 | $11,501↓29% | 87.0%↑11% | 29.9%↓16% | 55 |
| West Central School District 49-7 | 6 | 1,413 | $11,727↓28% | 92.0%↑18% | 9.8%↓72% | 51 |
| Dakota Valley School District 61-8 | 4 | 1,387 | $11,266↓31% | 92.0%↑18% | 10.0%↓72% | — |
| Belle Fourche School District 09-1 | 5 | 1,329 | $11,484↓29% | 93.9%↑20% | 31.8%↓10% | 55 |
| Lennox School District 41-4 | 5 | 1,211 | $13,031↓20% | 97.5%↑25% | 13.9%↓61% | 57 |
| Madison Central School District 39-2 | 3 | 1,147 | $11,210↓31% | 87.0%↑11% | 20.4%↓42% | 60 |
| Milbank School District 25-4 | 4 | 1,033 | $14,419↓11% | 97.5%↑25% | 28.0%↓21% | 57 |
| Small Districts — Fewer than 1,000 Students | ||||||
| Dell Rapids School District 49-3 | 3 | 982 | $12,428↓24% | 92.0%↑18% | 12.9%↓64% | 56 |
| Sisseton School District 54-2 | 3 | 979 | $12,821↓21% | 74.5% | 58.5%↑65% | 48 |
| Tri-Valley School District 49-6 | 3 | 945 | $22,353↑37% | 97.5%↑25% | 15.8%↓56% | 58 |
| Custer School District 16-1 | 4 | 911 | $20,373↑25% | 92.5%↑18% | 22.2%↓37% | 52 |
| Wagner Community School District 11-4 | 4 | 905 | $25,664↑58% | 84.5%↑8% | 100.0%↑182% | 46 |
| Canton School District 41-1 | 3 | 874 | $12,582↓23% | 84.5%↑8% | 15.6%↓56% | 53 |
| Hamlin School District 28-3 | 3 | 870 | $10,605↓35% | 92.5%↑18% | 30.8%↓13% | 58 |
| Chamberlain School District 07-1 | 3 | 851 | $16,186 | 84.5%↑8% | 48.4%↑37% | 58 |
| Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School | 1 | 830 | — | 62.0%↓21% | 99.6%↑181% | 33 |
| Little Wound School | 1 | 828 | — | 62.0%↓21% | 99.6%↑181% | — |
| Winner School District 59-2 | 3 | 814 | $13,360↓18% | 84.5%↑8% | 39.4%↑11% | 58 |
| Hot Springs School District 23-2 | 3 | 773 | $11,843↓27% | 87.0%↑11% | 23.3%↓34% | 53 |
| Pine Ridge School | 1 | 740 | — | 47.0%↓40% | 99.6%↑181% | — |
| Sioux Valley School District 05-5 | 3 | 739 | $12,981↓20% | 92.5%↑18% | 13.3%↓63% | 59 |
| Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1 | 4 | 734 | $18,004↑11% | 71.2%↓9% | 34.7% | — |
| Beresford School District 61-2 | 3 | 708 | $12,393↓24% | 84.5%↑8% | 19.6%↓45% | 53 |
| Flandreau School District 50-3 | 4 | 694 | $12,840↓21% | 84.5%↑8% | 1.7%↓95% | 56 |
| Elk Point-Jefferson School District 61-7 | 3 | 688 | $11,749↓28% | 92.5%↑18% | 13.4%↓62% | 58 |
| St. Francis Indian School | 1 | 616 | — | 57.0%↓27% | 99.5%↑181% | 28 |
| Baltic School District 49-1 | 3 | 608 | $10,735↓34% | 85.0%↑9% | 13.0%↓63% | 53 |
| Groton Area School District 06-6 | 3 | 597 | $12,197↓25% | 92.5%↑18% | 13.1%↓63% | 56 |
| Bon Homme School District 04-2 | 8 | 589 | $11,887↓27% | 92.5%↑18% | 25.8%↓27% | 55 |
| Parkston School District 33-3 | 7 | 582 | $11,771↓28% | 85.0%↑9% | 32.0%↓10% | 64 |
| Chester Area School District 39-1 | 7 | 576 | $10,587↓35% | 45.6%↓42% | 13.0%↓63% | 59 |
| Mobridge-Pollock 62-6 | 4 | 574 | $13,193↓19% | 84.5%↑8% | 29.4%↓17% | 33 |
| Redfield School District 56-4 | 6 | 555 | $11,534↓29% | 89.3%↑14% | 25.2%↓29% | 60 |
| Webster Area 18-5 | 3 | 551 | $12,471↓23% | 85.0%↑9% | 19.6%↓45% | 57 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.