Public education in South Dakota

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K-12 education in South Dakota
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Education facts
State superintendent:
Joe Graves
Number of students:
145,726
Number of teachers:
10,699
Teacher/pupil ratio:
1:13.6
Number of school districts:
169
Number of schools:
714
Graduation rate:
84%
Per-pupil spending:
$10,208
See also
South Dakota Department of Education • List of school districts in South Dakota • South Dakota • School boards portal
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Public education in the United States
Public education in South Dakota
Glossary of education terms
Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.


The South Dakota public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, South Dakota had 145,726 students enrolled in a total of 714 schools in 169 school districts. There were 10,699 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 14 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, South Dakota spent on average $10,208 per pupil.[1] The state's graduation rate was 84 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.[2]


General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how South Dakota compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.


Public education in South Dakota
State Schools Districts Students Teachers Teacher to pupil ratio Per pupil spending*
South Dakota 714 169 145,726 10,699 1:13.6 $10,208
United States 90,323 13,194 47,755,383 2,783,705 1:16 $13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020.
Sources:

Education statistics in the United States
U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020"
National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

BP-Initials-UPDATED.png The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Education terms
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For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
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School board elections portal
Glossary of education terms
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Montana, Nebraska, and North Dakota), South Dakota had the smallest share of fourth grade students that scored at or above proficient in both math and reading.[3]

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
Math - Grade 4 Math - Grade 8 Reading - Grade 4 Reading - Grade 8
South Dakota 40% 38% 32% 36%
Montana 45% 40% 35% 40%
Nebraska 45% 36% 37% 37%
North Dakota 48% 41% 34% 34%
United States 41% 34% 34% 34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for South Dakota and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[3][4][5]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[6]

South Dakota schools reported a graduation rate of 82.7 percent, lowest among its neighboring states.

In South Dakota, more students took the ACT than the SAT, earning an average ACT score of 21.9.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State Graduation rate, 2013 Average ACT composite, 2013 Average SAT composite, 2013
Percent Quintile ranking** Score Participation rate Score Participation rate
South Dakota 82.7% Third 21.9 78% 1760 3%
Montana 84.4% Third 21.3 72% 1595 25%
Nebraska 88.5% First 21.5 84% 1734 4%
North Dakota 87.5% First 20.5 98% 1799 2%
United States 81.4% 20.9 54% 1498 50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally.
Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express"
ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores"
The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for South Dakota was lower than the national average at 2.6 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 3.1 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[7]

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in South Dakota

School choice options in South Dakota included inter-district and intra-district open enrollment policies and online learning programs. In addition, about 8.68 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
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Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot
See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.[8]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.[9]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

South Dakota is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.


Education funding and expenditures

See also: South Dakota state budget and finances
Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.[10][11]

South Dakota spent approximately 14.1 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from local funds. South Dakota spent a lower percentage of its budget on public education than any of its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State Percentage of budget Per pupil spending Revenue sources
Percent federal funds Percent state funds Percent local funds
South Dakota 14.1% $8,470 14.8% 31% 54.1%
Montana 15.5% $10,625 12.8% 47.7% 39.5%
Nebraska 14.6% $11,579 9.7% 32.1% 58.3%
North Dakota 15% $11,980 10.7% 50.3% 38.9%
United States 19.8% $10,700 9.1% 45.6% 45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8).
U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.[11]

In South Dakota, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding during fiscal year 2013, at $712 million. South Dakota reported lower total public education revenue than any of its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State Federal revenue State revenue Local revenue Total revenue
South Dakota $194,731 $408,009 $711,591 $1,314,331
Montana $210,593 $788,329 $652,713 $1,651,635
Nebraska $366,241 $1,217,306 $2,211,092 $3,794,639
North Dakota $145,905 $685,348 $530,337 $1,361,590
U.S. totals $54,367,305 $272,916,892 $270,645,402 $597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.[12]

Public education expenditures in South Dakota totaled approximately $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2012. South Dakota reported lower total public education expenditures than all of its neighboring states except North Dakota.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State General expenditures Capital outlay Other Total expenditures
South Dakota $1,100,100 $172,739 $30,036 $1,302,875
Montana $1,504,531 $120,771 $29,324 $1,654,625
Nebraska $3,356,734 $348,343 $90,194 $3,795,271
North Dakota $1,098,090 $160,058 $22,521 $1,280,669
United States $527,096,473 $48,773,386 $25,897,123 $601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States
Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.[13]

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in South Dakota, the average salary decreased by 0.4 percent.[14]

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
1999-2000 2009-2010 2011-2012 2012-2013 Percent difference
South Dakota $39,728 $41,456 $39,450 $39,580 -0.4%
Montana $43,896 $48,845 $49,354 $49,999 13.9%
Nebraska $45,421 $49,345 $48,955 $48,931 7.7%
North Dakota $40,810 $45,862 $46,825 $47,344 16%
United States $57,133 $58,925 $56,340 $56,383 -1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: South Dakota Department of Education

The mission statement of the South Dakota Department of Education reads:[15]

“ The South Dakota Department of Education is dedicated to enhancing learning through leadership and service.[16] ”

The state's chief education official is the Secretary of Education. The Secretary of Education is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the governor, with the advice and consent of the state senate. Melody Schopp was appointed to the position in 2011.[17][18]

The South Dakota Board of Education is composed of nine members, all of whom are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the state senate. Members serve four-year terms.[19]

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. South Dakota ranked 34th overall for union power and influence, or "weak," which was in the fourth of five tiers.[20]

The main union related to the South Dakota school system is the South Dakota Education Association (SDEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). SDEA is the largest education association in the state.[21] For the 2003 tax period SDEA had: $2.31 million in total revenue, $2.10 million in total expenses and $655,432 in total assets.[22]

Government sector lobbying

See also: South Dakota government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Associated School Boards of South Dakota.

Transparency

Open.SD.gov is South Dakota's transparency website. Information pertaining to contracts, revenues, expenditures, and more is accessible here.[23]

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

  1. Chance for success
  2. K-12 achievement
  3. Standards, assessments and accountability
  4. The teaching profession
  5. School finance
  6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

South Dakota received a score of 79.6, or a B- average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. Aside from the "chance for success" category, the state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 73.0, or a C average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 60.8, or a D- average. South Dakota had the lowest score for the "K-12 education" category when compared to neighboring states. The chart below displays the scores of South Dakota and its surrounding states.[24]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State Chance for success K-12 achievement Standards, assessments and accountability The teaching profession School finance Transitions and alignment
South Dakota 79.6 (B-) 63.2 (D) 73.0 (C) 60.8 (D-) 68.2 (D+) 64.3 (D)
Montana 76.3 (C) 69.7 (C-) 76.3 (C) 69.4 (D+) 73.0 (C) 60.7 (D-)
Nebraska 83.1 (B) 67.0 (D+) 67.6 (D+) 69.8 (C-) 77.0 (C+) 64.3 (D)
North Dakota 86.9 (B+) 68.2 (D+) 85.4 (B) 66.6 (D+) 76.8 (C+) 78.6 (C+)
United States average 77.3 (C+) 70.2 (C-) 85.3 (B) 72.5 (C) 75.5 (C) 81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014"

A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

South Dakota contains multiple types of school districts. A public school district offers K-12 courses for students in a single city or county. Cooperative districts are typically multiple small districts combined into a single governing body to serve rural communities.[25]

School board composition

South Dakota school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to fill vacancies until the next election for the seat is held. South Dakota school board elections typically follow one of these two methods:[26]

  • At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
  • Trustee area at-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, but candidates must reside in specific geographic areas within the school district.

School boards can consist of five, seven or nine members. Board members serve three-year terms with elections held each year at a time determined by local election officials.[26]

Term limits

South Dakota does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.[26]

Elections

See also: South Dakota school board elections, 2024

No South Dakota school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2024.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.


Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in South Dakota, a person must be:[26]

  • 18 years of age or older
  • A resident of the school district at the time of the election
  • An eligible voter of the district

Candidates must file nominating petitions with signatures from at least 20 voters in the district to the district's business office. The filing deadline for a school board election is at least 39 days prior to the election.[26]

Campaign finance

State law requires candidates to file itemized accounts of campaign contributions to the South Dakota Secretary of State if contributions exceed $100. A candidate has to report contributions under $100 but does not need to provide an itemized list of contributions.[27]

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the South Dakota state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.


Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of South Dakota ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

  1. South Dakota State University Relocation (1922)
  2. South Dakota School After Labor Day, Initiative 2 (1984)
  3. South Dakota Educational Funds, Amendment C (1994)
  4. South Dakota Investment of Education Funds, Amendment A (1996)
  5. South Dakota Investment of School Funds, Amendment E (2000)
  6. South Dakota School Services for all Children, Amendment B (2004)
  7. South Dakota Definition of First Day of School, Initiative 3 (2006)
  8. South Dakota Kids and Teachers First Transparency Act (2008)
  9. South Dakota Abolish Regents' Board of Trustees (1896)
  10. South Dakota Investment of School Funds by Counties (1900)
  11. South Dakota Lower Interest Rate on School Funds (1902)
  12. South Dakota Investment of School Money (1904)
  13. South Dakota Northern Normal School Course of Study (1914)
  14. South Dakota Teachers' Colleges (1932)
  15. South Dakota Educational Fund Loans (1944)
  16. South Dakota Educational and Charitable Institutions (1944)
  17. South Dakota School District Indebtedness (1950)
  18. South Dakota Educational Fund Investments (1950)
  19. South Dakota Educational Fund Investments (1952)
  20. South Dakota School District Debt Limit (1954)
  21. South Dakota Reinvestment of School Funds, Amendment D (1968)
  22. South Dakota Appointment of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Amendment E (1968)
  23. South Dakota School District Reorganization, Referendum 2(1968)
  24. South Dakota School Lands, Amendment H (1970)
  25. South Dakota Fines and Interest Rates on School Land Sales, Amendment B (1982)
  26. South Dakota Loan of Nonsectarian Textbooks, Amendment C (1986)
  27. South Dakota Investment of School Funds, Amendment G (1998)
  28. South Dakota Healthcare and Education Trust Funds, Amendment B (April 2001)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms South Dakota education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in South Dakota - Google News

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020," May 18, 2022
  2. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates," accessed September 28, 2022
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
  4. ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
  5. ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
  6. ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
  7. ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
  8. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue: "Petition for a writ of certiorari," accessed July 3, 2019
  9. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, decided June 30, 2020
  10. ↑ NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," accessed July 2, 2015
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports," accessed July 2, 2015
  12. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)," accessed July 2, 2015
  13. ↑ Maciver Institute, "REPORT: How much are teachers really paid?" accessed October 29, 2014
  14. ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 211.60. Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by state: Selected years, 1969-70 through 2012-13," accessed May 13, 2014
  15. ↑ South Dakota Department of Education, "About the Department," accessed June 4, 2014
  16. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  17. ↑ South Dakota Department of Education, "Staff Directory - Office of the Secretary," accessed June 4, 2014
  18. ↑ South Dakota Constitution, "Article IV, Section 9," accessed June 4, 2014
  19. ↑ South Dakota Department of Education, "South Dakota Board of Education Policy," accessed June 4, 2014
  20. ↑ Thomas E Fordham Institute, " How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison," October 29, 2012
  21. ↑ Center for Union Facts, "South Dakota," accessed December 1, 2009
  22. ↑ Center for Union Facts, "South Dakota Education Association," accessed December 1, 2009
  23. ↑ Open SD, "Welcome to OPEN SD," accessed June 4, 2014
  24. ↑ Education Week "Quality Counts 2014," accessed February 19, 2015
  25. ↑ South Dakota Department of Education, "Educational Directory," accessed July 10, 2014
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 Associated School Boards of South Dakota, "So, You Want to Become a School Board Member," accessed July 9, 2014
  27. ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance FAQs," accessed July 9, 2014
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