Best High Schools in South Dakota

South Dakota has 239 high schools with 53,513 students. Below are the top high schools based on their actual test performance displayed alongside our projected performance for their socioeconomic status and the Teacher Grade we assign based on expected performance. On average, high schools in South Dakota score 39% on their proficiency tests, and we project and average score of 38% on those same proficiency tests. Comparing the differences, on average, high schools in South Dakota meet expectations.

1. Montrose High School - 01

A+

SchoolGrade

90%

Actual Test Scores

37%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Montrose School District 43-2 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 59 Students

2. West Lyon High School

A+

SchoolGrade

86%

Actual Test Scores

74%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

West Lyon Comm School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 307 Students

3. Jones County High School - 01

A

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

65%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Jones County School District 37-3 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 51 Students

4. Harding County High School - 01

A

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

63%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Harding County School District 31-1 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 56 Students

5. Eureka High School - 01

A

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

63%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Eureka School District 44-1 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 34 Students

6. Hendricks Senior High

A

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

61%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Hendricks Public School District • Public • Grades 7 - 12 • 47 Students

7. Lemmon High School - 01

A

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

61%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Lemmon School District 52-4 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 86 Students

8. Edmunds Central High School - 01

A

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

60%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Edmunds Central School District 22-5 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 35 Students

9. Canistota High School - 01

A

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

58%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Canistota School District 43-1 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 76 Students

10. Faith High School - 01

A

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

58%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Faith School District 46-2 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 80 Students

Best Middle Schools in South Dakota

South Dakota has 245 middle schools with 37,147 students. Below are the top middle schools based on their actual test performance displayed alongside our projected performance for their socioeconomic status and the Teacher Grade we assign based on expected performance. On average, middle schools in South Dakota score 33% on their proficiency tests, and we project and average score of 37% on those same proficiency tests. Comparing the differences, on average, middle schools in South Dakota don't meet expectations.

1. Akron Westfield Middle School

A+

SchoolGrade

77%

Actual Test Scores

46%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Akron Westfield Comm School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 139 Students

2. West Lyon Junior High School

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

67%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

West Lyon Comm School District • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 133 Students

3. Frederick Jr. High - 03

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

62%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Frederick Area School District 06-2 • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 29 Students

4. Hitchcock-tulare Jr. High School - 02

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

61%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Hitchcock Tulare School District 56-6 • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 26 Students

5. Highmore Jr. High - 03

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

61%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Highmore-harrold 34-2 • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 35 Students

6. Langford Area Middle School - 03

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

61%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Langford Area 45-5 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 42 Students

7. Rutland Jr. High - 03

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

57%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Rutland School District 39-4 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 48 Students

8. Armour Middle School - 03

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

52%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Armour School District 21-1 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 49 Students

9. Sanborn Central Middle School - 02

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

46%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Sanborn Central School District 55-5 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 30 Students

10. Corsica-stickney Jr. High - 03

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

40%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Corsica-stickney 21-3 • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 42 Students

Best Elementary Schools in South Dakota

South Dakota has 350 elementary schools with 74,007 students. Below are the top elementary schools based on their actual test performance displayed alongside our projected performance for their socioeconomic status and the Teacher Grade we assign based on expected performance. On average, elementary schools in South Dakota score 36% on their proficiency tests, and we project and average score of 38% on those same proficiency tests. Comparing the differences, on average, elementary schools in South Dakota meet expectations.

1. Challenge Center - 51

A+

SchoolGrade

80%

Actual Test Scores

55%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Sioux Falls School District 49-5 • Public • Grades 2 - 5 • 185 Students

2. West Lyon Elementary School

A+

SchoolGrade

78%

Actual Test Scores

58%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

West Lyon Comm School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 6 • 556 Students

3. Mount Vernon Elementary - 02

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

64%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Mount Vernon School District 17-3 • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 123 Students

4. Big Stone City Elementary - 01

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

60%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Big Stone City School District 25-1 • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 66 Students

5. Shannon Colony Elementary - 08

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

56%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Howard School District 48-3 • Public • Grades KG - 8 • 33 Students

6. Eureka Elementary - 02

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

56%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Eureka School District 44-1 • Public • Grades Pre K - 6 • 105 Students

7. Whitewood Elementary - 04

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

55%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Meade School District 46-1 • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 109 Students

8. Grass Ranch Colony Elementary - 13

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

55%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Kimball School District 07-2 • Public • Grades KG - 8 • 47 Students

9. Little Powder Elementary

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

53%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Campbell County School District #1 • Public • Grades KG - 8 • 23 Students

10. Onida Elementary - 04

A+

SchoolGrade

75%

Actual Test Scores

50%

Projected Test Scores

Teacher Grade:Greatly Exceeds Expectations

Agar-blunt-onida School District 58-3 • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 69 Students

Education & Community Snapshot in South Dakota

State-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.

Community Factors

South Dakota has a total population of 886,667 with 25% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 93%, and 32% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Students in South Dakota

169,473

K-12 Students

High School Graduates

93%

Adults 25+ with HS diplomas

College Graduates

32%

Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher

Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood South Dakota.

Safety

Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.

Overall Crime Grade

C

20.47 per 1,000 Residents

Violent Crime Grade

C

4.05 per 1,000 Residents

Property Crime Grade

B-

16.42 per 1,000 Residents

Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in South Dakota.

Connectivity

Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for South Dakota.

ISP Report Card

C+

Internet Infrastructure Grade

Average Download Speed

1,795 Mbps

Speed Most Residents Can Get

Digital Connectivity Index

60 / 100

ISP Connectivity Demand Report

To read more about these statistics, please visit South Dakota Internet Health Assessment.

Best Schools in Cities Near South Dakota

Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.

Nebraska

  • Actual Test Scores: 46%
  • Projected Test Scores: 43%
  • Teacher Grade: Exceeds Expectations
North Dakota

  • Actual Test Scores: 39%
  • Projected Test Scores: 40%
  • Teacher Grade: Meets Expectations
Minnesota

  • Actual Test Scores: 41%
  • Projected Test Scores: 39%
  • Teacher Grade: Meets Expectations
Iowa

  • Actual Test Scores: 61%
  • Projected Test Scores: 53%
  • Teacher Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
Kansas

  • Actual Test Scores: 32%
  • Projected Test Scores: 33%
  • Teacher Grade: Meets Expectations
Wyoming

  • Actual Test Scores: 47%
  • Projected Test Scores: 46%
  • Teacher Grade: Meets Expectations
Wisconsin

  • Actual Test Scores: 36%
  • Projected Test Scores: 38%
  • Teacher Grade: Meets Expectations
Colorado

  • Actual Test Scores: 31%
  • Projected Test Scores: 33%
  • Teacher Grade: Meets Expectations
Missouri

  • Actual Test Scores: 36%
  • Projected Test Scores: 37%
  • Teacher Grade: Meets Expectations
Illinois

  • Actual Test Scores: 23%
  • Projected Test Scores: 27%
  • Teacher Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations