Best Public Schools in South Dakota

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score. Based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs & attendance. NCES CCD 2022-23.

99/100
Top Score
Oldham-Ramona Elementary - 02
62/100
Avg Score (Top 50)
50
Schools Ranked
SD
State
# School Score Grade
1. Oldham-Ramona Elementary - 02 Ramona 99 A+
2. Rutland Elementary - 02 Rutland 87 A
3. Mckinley Elementary - 06 Watertown 70 B
4. Menno Elementary - 02 Menno 67 B-
5. Kimball High School - 01 Kimball 67 B-
6. Lead-Deadwood Career & Technical Education - 10 Nemo 67 B-
7. Avon High School - 01 Avon 64 C+
8. Kimball Middle School - 04 Kimball 63 C+
9. Irene - Wakonda High School - 01 Irene 63 C+
10. Menno High School - 01 Menno 63 C+
11. Armour High School - 01 Armour 63 C+
12. Armour Middle School - 03 Armour 63 C+
13. Montrose Elementary - 02 Montrose 62 C+
14. Jefferson Building - 64 Rapid City 62 C+
15. Warner High School - 01 Warner 62 C+
16. Onida Elementary - 04 Onida 62 C+
17. Willow Lake High School - 01 Willow Lake 62 C+
18. Irene - Wakonda Elementary - 02 Wakonda 61 C+
19. Burke Elementary - 02 Burke 61 C+
20. Ethan High School - 01 Ethan 61 C+
21. Herreid Elementary - 02 Herreid 61 C+
22. Kadoka Area High School - 01 Kadoka 61 C+
23. Bridges at Horace Mann - 52 Sioux Falls 61 C+
24. Timber Lake Elementary - 02 Timber Lake 60 C+
25. Tri-Valley Elementary - 02 Colton 60 C+
26. Kadoka Elementary - 02 Kadoka 60 C+
27. Iroquois Elementary - 04 Iroquois 60 C+
28. Lake Preston Elementary - 02 Lake Preston 60 C+
29. Edmunds Central Elementary - 05 Roscoe 60 C+
30. Harrisburg North Middle School - 08 Sioux Falls 59 C
31. Hanson Elementary - 06 Alexandria 59 C
32. Highmore Elementary - 02 Highmore 59 C
33. Plankinton Elementary - 02 Plankinton 59 C
34. Kimball Elementary - 02 Kimball 59 C
35. Buffalo Elementary - 02 Buffalo 59 C
36. Custer Jr. High - 05 Custer 59 C
37. Avon Elementary - 02 Avon 59 C
38. Faulkton High School - 01 Faulkton 59 C
39. Hoven Elementary - 02 Hoven 59 C
40. Bison High School - 01 Bison 59 C
41. Brandon Valley Middle School - 02 Brandon 58 C
42. All City Elementary - 50 Sioux Falls 58 C
43. Wolsey Wessington Elementary - 02 Wolsey 58 C
44. Timber Lake High School - 01 Timber Lake 58 C
45. Florence High School - 01 Florence 58 C
46. Gayville-Volin High School - 01 Gayville 58 C
47. Henry Elementary - 02 Henry 58 C
48. Woonsocket High School - 01 Woonsocket 58 C
49. Miller Jr. High - 04 Miller 58 C
50. Timber Lake Middle School - 03 Timber Lake 58 C

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in South Dakota? ▼

The top-rated school in South Dakota is Oldham-Ramona Elementary - 02 in Ramona with a quality score of 99/100 (grade A+). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated? ▼

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Explore More for South Dakota

All Schools → Largest Schools → Absenteeism Data → Highest Spending → National Ranking →

Methodology

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.