The Mount Rushmore State is no slouch when it comes to public school education, placing in the top 20 in both college readiness and NAEP math scores in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the fifty states in Pre-K-12 education. South Dakota’s finest school districts compare favorably with the best in the nation.
The state’s top school district is comprised of one school, Chester Area School in Chester, SD with elementary, middle, and high school branches. According to Niche.com, a remarkable 95% of the elementary school students are proficient in mathematics.
Number two in the ranking is Parker School District, another one school district located in Parker, SD. The district is the only school district in South Dakota to receive the Distinguished School District award for seven straight years, and Parker Elementary earned the National Blue Ribbon Award in 2012.
Warner School District, a small but excellent school district serving the town that lends it its name comes in at #3.
At #4 is Groton Area School District, comprising one elementary school and one combined middle school/high school in Groton, SD. Groton’s two schools regularly deliver a high level of academic excellence, with Groton Area Elementary taking home the National Blue Ribbon School Award in 2012.
Closing out the top five is Harrisburg School District, larger than the preceding districts on the list with six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school serving Lincoln County, SD.
Top School Districts in South Dakota, 2018
| State Rank | School District | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester Area School District 39-1 | South Dakota |
| 2 | Parker School District 60-4 | South Dakota |
| 3 | Warner School District 06-5 | South Dakota |
| 4 | Groton Area School District 06-6 | South Dakota |
| 5 | Harrisburg School District 41-2 | South Dakota |
| 6 | Plankinton School District 01-1 | South Dakota |
| 7 | Arlington School District 38-1 | South Dakota |
| 8 | Brandon Valley School District 49-2 | South Dakota |
| 9 | Dakota Valley School District 61-8 | South Dakota |
| 10 | Alcester-Hudson School District 61-1 | South Dakota |
| 11 | Elk Point-Jefferson School District 61-7 | South Dakota |
| 12 | Webster Area 18-5 | South Dakota |
| 13 | Ethan School District 17-1 | South Dakota |
| 14 | Deubrook Area School District 05-6 | South Dakota |
| 15 | Brookings School District 05-1 | South Dakota |
| 16 | Montrose School District 43-2 | South Dakota |
| 17 | Mitchell School District 17-2 | South Dakota |
| 18 | Parkston School District 33-3 | South Dakota |
| 19 | Garretson School District 49-4 | South Dakota |
| 20 | Howard School District 48-3 | South Dakota |
| 21 | De Smet School District 38-2 | South Dakota |
| 22 | Hamlin School District 28-3 | South Dakota |
| 23 | Pierre School District 32-2 | South Dakota |
| 24 | Irene - Wakonda School District 13-3 | South Dakota |
| 25 | Wall School District 51-5 | South Dakota |
| 26 | Gettysburg School District 53-1 | South Dakota |
| 27 | Canton School District 41-1 | South Dakota |
| 28 | Platte - Geddes School District 11-5 | South Dakota |
| 29 | Beresford School District 61-2 | South Dakota |
| 30 | Sioux Falls School District 49-5 | South Dakota |
| 31 | Lake Preston School District 38-3 | South Dakota |
| 32 | Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 | South Dakota |
| 33 | Milbank School District 25-4 | South Dakota |
| 34 | Dell Rapids School District 49-3 | South Dakota |
| 35 | Agar-Blunt-Onida School District 58-3 | South Dakota |
| 36 | Miller 29-4 | South Dakota |
| 37 | Watertown School District 14-4 | South Dakota |
| 38 | Rosholt School District 54-4 | South Dakota |
| 39 | Burke School District 26-2 | South Dakota |
| 40 | Aberdeen School District 06-1 | South Dakota |
| 41 | Sioux Valley School District 05-5 | South Dakota |
| 42 | Lennox School District 41-4 | South Dakota |
| 43 | Tea Area School District 41-5 | South Dakota |
| 44 | Langford Area 45-5 | South Dakota |
| 45 | Meade School District 46-1 | South Dakota |
| 46 | Britton-Hecla School District 45-4 | South Dakota |
| 47 | Madison Central School District 39-2 | South Dakota |
| 48 | West Central School District 49-7 | South Dakota |
| 49 | Vermillion School District 13-1 | South Dakota |
| 50 | Bridgewater-Emery 30-3 | South Dakota |
| 51 | Redfield School District 56-4 | South Dakota |
| 52 | Yankton School District 63-3 | South Dakota |
| 53 | Baltic School District 49-1 | South Dakota |
| 54 | Bon Homme School District 04-2 | South Dakota |
| 55 | Tri-Valley School District 49-6 | South Dakota |
| 56 | Avon School District 04-1 | South Dakota |
| 57 | Menno School District 33-2 | South Dakota |
| 58 | Kimball School District 07-2 | South Dakota |
| 59 | Mccook Central School District 43-7 | South Dakota |
| 60 | Castlewood School District 28-1 | South Dakota |
| 61 | Ipswich Public School District 22-6 | South Dakota |
| 62 | Haakon School District 27-1 | South Dakota |
| 63 | Flandreau School District 50-3 | South Dakota |
| 64 | Deuel School District 19-4 | South Dakota |
| 65 | Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1 | South Dakota |
| 66 | Chamberlain School District 07-1 | South Dakota |
| 67 | Gregory School District 26-4 | South Dakota |
| 68 | Spearfish School District 40-2 | South Dakota |
| 69 | Custer School District 16-1 | South Dakota |
| 70 | Douglas School District 51-1 | South Dakota |
| 71 | Stanley County School District 57-1 | South Dakota |
| 72 | Leola School District 44-2 | South Dakota |
| 73 | Colome Consolidated 59-3 | South Dakota |
| 74 | Rapid City Area School District 51-4 | South Dakota |
| 75 | Newell School District 09-2 | South Dakota |
| 76 | Hanson School District 30-1 | South Dakota |
| 77 | Highmore-Harrold 34-2 | South Dakota |
| 78 | Hill City School District 51-2 | South Dakota |
| 79 | Lemmon School District 52-4 | South Dakota |
| 80 | Tripp-Delmont School District 33-5 | South Dakota |
| 81 | Scotland School District 04-3 | South Dakota |
| 82 | Mount Vernon School District 17-3 | South Dakota |
| 83 | Northwestern Area School District 56-7 | South Dakota |
| 84 | New Underwood School District 51-3 | South Dakota |
| 85 | Hot Springs School District 23-2 | South Dakota |
| 86 | Freeman School District 33-1 | South Dakota |
| 87 | Colman-Egan School District 50-5 | South Dakota |
| 88 | Wilmot School District 54-7 | South Dakota |
| 89 | Gayville-Volin School District 63-1 | South Dakota |
| 90 | Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6 | South Dakota |
| 91 | Mobridge-Pollock 62-6 | South Dakota |
| 92 | Huron School District 02-2 | South Dakota |
| 93 | Clark School District 12-2 | South Dakota |
| 94 | Dupree School District 64-2 | South Dakota |
| 95 | Wagner Community School District 11-4 | South Dakota |
| 96 | Timber Lake School District 20-3 | South Dakota |
| 97 | Elkton School District 05-3 | South Dakota |
| 98 | Willow Lake School District 12-3 | South Dakota |
| 99 | Viborg-Hurley School District 60-6 | South Dakota |
| 100 | Wessington Springs School District 36-2 | South Dakota |
Methodology
The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.
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