How equitable is school funding in South Dakota?

The average funding equity score for South Dakota school districts is 51 out of 100, compared to the national average of 49. This score considers per-pupil spending, need-adjusted spending, funding source diversity, and student-teacher ratios.

What does the equity score measure?

The equity score (0-100) measures four dimensions: per-pupil spending level, need-adjusted spending (rewarding districts that spend more where poverty is higher), funding diversity (less reliance on local property taxes), and resource access (lower student-teacher ratios).

South Dakota · NCES F-33 finance data

School Funding Equity in South Dakota

121 districts ranked by how equitably school funding is distributed, scored from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states.

Compiled by PlainSchools Editorial, Independent education-data publisher · June 10, 2026

The equity picture in one line

Eagle Butte School District 20-1 ranks first in South Dakota for funding equity at 100/100, in a state whose districts average 51 against a national average of 49.

100/100
top score (Eagle Butte School District 20-1): $29,319
per-pupil spending in the top district: 24
districts scoring 70 or higher: 17
districts below 30

#	District	Enrollment	$/Pupil	Free Lunch	Local Rev %	Score
1	Eagle Butte School District 20-1	362	$29,319	84.3%	10.1%	100
2	Mclaughlin School District 15-2	442	$20,507	100.0%	13.5%	96
3	White River School District 47-1	419	$17,446	100.0%	15.0%	95
4	Andes Central School District 11-1	340	$17,379	100.0%	25.2%	95
5	Timber Lake School District 20-3	362	$18,185	26.8%	11.7%	94
6	Kadoka Area School District 35-2	328	$17,032	33.3%	32.8%	93
7	Dupree School District 64-2	405	$18,742	99.9%	13.9%	92
8	Todd County School District 66-1	2,047	$16,334	100.0%	5.9%	90
9	Bennett County School District 03-1	490	$14,209	100.0%	12.2%	90
10	Wagner Community School District 11-4	905	$14,978	100.0%	11.4%	87
11	Oglala Lakota County 65-1	1,797	$21,648	100.0%	2.0%	83
12	Chamberlain School District 07-1	851	$13,938	39.4%	40.2%	83
13	Lyman School District 42-1	370	$16,098	25.9%	48.0%	83
14	Rosholt School District 54-4	231	$13,731	40.4%	35.2%	82
15	Avon School District 04-1	224	$14,222	14.1%	39.2%	81
16	Wilmot School District 54-7	222	$13,455	37.9%	43.2%	79
17	Leola School District 44-2	210	$15,883	16.1%	55.0%	76
18	Menno School District 33-2	288	$14,761	37.1%	61.1%	75
19	Wall School District 51-5	283	$13,796	20.3%	44.6%	75
20	Newell School District 09-2	289	$13,238	30.5%	50.2%	74
21	Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1	736	$17,339	40.9%	82.8%	72
22	Plankinton School District 01-1	283	$13,418	18.9%	49.1%	71
23	Agar-Blunt-Onida School District 58-3	231	$19,278	15.9%	88.8%	71
24	Sanborn Central School District 55-5	210	$13,977	14.7%	56.4%	71
25	Harding County School District 31-1	224	$17,270	15.8%	66.6%	69
26	Armour School District 21-1	219	$13,344	17.2%	54.5%	68
27	Sisseton School District 54-2	979	$12,465	46.5%	39.2%	67
28	Burke School District 26-2	237	$14,787	21.7%	55.1%	67
29	Montrose School District 43-2	259	$15,504	11.8%	44.3%	66
30	Gettysburg School District 53-1	211	$13,724	11.8%	59.2%	65
31	Parkston School District 33-3	562	$11,231	51.4%	47.8%	63
32	Scotland School District 04-3	297	$12,936	19.0%	53.9%	63
33	Iroquois School District 02-3	241	$13,904	27.1%	69.5%	61
34	Custer School District 16-1	911	$13,911	17.4%	77.4%	60
35	Alcester-Hudson School District 61-1	352	$13,011	15.9%	58.8%	60
36	Bridgewater-Emery 30-3	333	$13,209	21.7%	60.2%	60
37	Irene - Wakonda School District 13-3	293	$13,781	19.8%	63.8%	60
38	Stanley County School District 57-1	416	$13,563	17.9%	67.7%	59
39	Douglas School District 51-1	2,750	$12,366	20.9%	21.1%	58
40	Gregory School District 26-4	431	$12,077	32.6%	52.7%	58
41	Huron School District 02-2	2,906	$11,193	50.1%	35.9%	57
42	Lemmon School District 52-4	283	$14,092	16.9%	63.8%	57
43	Kimball School District 07-2	357	$11,929	45.8%	56.8%	56
44	Mobridge-Pollock 62-6	571	$11,177	23.1%	45.2%	55
45	Estelline School District 28-2	274	$13,448	17.1%	62.4%	55
46	Hitchcock Tulare School District 56-6	232	$13,172	17.2%	77.3%	55
47	Flandreau School District 50-3	694	$12,104	-	43.0%	54
48	Clark School District 12-2	482	$11,435	45.4%	64.0%	54
49	Canistota School District 43-1	293	$13,110	16.4%	49.8%	54
50	Mount Vernon School District 17-3	273	$12,173	16.0%	46.6%	54
51	Waverly School District 14-5	271	$12,345	15.0%	45.1%	53
52	Langford Area 45-5	242	$13,290	27.2%	65.2%	53
53	Highmore-Harrold 34-2	222	$12,967	17.3%	65.9%	52
54	Colman-Egan School District 50-5	296	$14,099	10.9%	52.8%	51
55	Belle Fourche School District 09-1	1,329	$10,486	26.7%	38.6%	50
56	Milbank School District 25-4	1,033	$12,179	19.5%	60.9%	50
57	Miller 29-4	457	$14,687	7.4%	72.4%	49
58	Faulkton Area Schools 24-4	386	$12,546	12.9%	66.3%	48
59	Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6	359	$12,344	21.6%	64.0%	48
60	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	25,123	$10,788	37.4%	48.1%	47
61	Bon Homme School District 04-2	589	$11,544	19.5%	50.6%	47
62	Platte - Geddes School District 11-5	512	$12,846	7.1%	64.7%	47
63	Hanson School District 30-1	396	$10,937	10.5%	49.6%	47
64	Winner School District 59-2	814	$11,049	33.9%	45.6%	46
65	Beresford School District 61-2	708	$11,271	14.4%	51.5%	46
66	Florence School District 14-1	308	$11,492	16.8%	36.6%	46
67	Gayville-Volin School District 63-1	289	$10,891	15.0%	34.9%	46
68	Viborg-Hurley School District 60-6	418	$11,300	16.5%	56.7%	45
69	Corsica-Stickney 21-3	276	$11,959	10.3%	63.4%	44
70	Aberdeen School District 06-1	4,326	$9,917	27.2%	47.7%	43
71	Canton School District 41-1	874	$11,924	9.9%	59.6%	43
72	Mitchell School District 17-2	2,722	$10,109	24.6%	46.0%	42
73	Centerville School District 60-1	290	$10,407	9.6%	45.3%	42
74	Tri-Valley School District 49-6	945	$11,057	9.3%	58.9%	41
75	Howard School District 48-3	351	$13,336	6.1%	73.7%	41
76	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	12,747	$11,191	42.5%	54.3%	40
77	Brookings School District 05-1	3,431	$11,042	15.9%	51.4%	40
78	De Smet School District 38-2	327	$13,298	13.2%	63.6%	40
79	Freeman School District 33-1	404	$12,751	16.3%	63.4%	39
80	Hot Springs School District 23-2	772	$9,971	17.3%	51.7%	38
81	Redfield School District 56-4	555	$10,294	16.7%	64.6%	38
82	Mccook Central School District 43-7	434	$11,993	12.5%	54.5%	37
83	Parker School District 60-4	491	$10,459	6.5%	49.5%	36
84	Arlington School District 38-1	303	$13,023	11.0%	68.5%	36
85	Pierre School District 32-2	2,762	$9,982	23.4%	43.0%	35
86	Deubrook Area School District 05-6	423	$11,803	7.8%	60.2%	35
87	Woonsocket School District 55-4	285	$9,844	15.6%	48.6%	35
88	Elk Point-Jefferson School District 61-7	688	$11,110	7.3%	51.6%	34
89	Willow Lake School District 12-3	323	$11,121	16.0%	63.0%	34
90	Meade School District 46-1	3,058	$9,446	18.2%	51.4%	33
91	Vermillion School District 13-1	1,436	$9,973	26.6%	53.1%	32
92	Groton Area School District 06-6	597	$11,736	7.3%	83.4%	32
93	Warner School District 06-5	314	$10,594	6.2%	46.8%	32
94	Harrisburg School District 41-2	5,912	$10,402	8.3%	58.8%	31
95	Spearfish School District 40-2	2,423	$9,880	10.8%	56.5%	31
96	Madison Central School District 39-2	1,147	$10,513	15.6%	63.6%	31
97	Dell Rapids School District 49-3	982	$10,597	8.1%	56.3%	31
98	Hill City School District 51-2	493	$11,550	19.5%	76.4%	31
99	Garretson School District 49-4	460	$10,419	8.6%	53.4%	31
100	Elkton School District 05-3	441	$11,507	21.3%	75.0%	31
101	Yankton School District 63-3	3,036	$10,365	23.8%	50.3%	30
102	Sioux Valley School District 05-5	739	$10,296	9.4%	47.7%	30
103	Baltic School District 49-1	608	$9,550	10.7%	42.5%	30
104	Ethan School District 17-1	283	$9,749	9.6%	34.8%	30
105	Deuel School District 19-4	544	$10,946	10.1%	59.3%	29
106	Watertown School District 14-4	3,803	$9,475	24.3%	49.1%	27
107	Webster Area 18-5	551	$10,803	14.5%	68.2%	27
108	Ipswich Public School District 22-6	457	$11,174	13.6%	74.5%	27
109	Castlewood School District 28-1	334	$9,844	7.9%	40.4%	27
110	New Underwood School District 51-3	291	$9,467	14.1%	35.5%	25
111	West Central School District 49-7	1,412	$9,843	10.0%	48.4%	24
112	Britton-Hecla School District 45-4	476	$10,943	30.7%	69.1%	24
113	Haakon School District 27-1	318	$11,298	5.4%	60.1%	24
114	Wessington Springs School District 36-2	422	$11,078	13.2%	62.1%	23
115	Northwestern Area School District 56-7	336	$11,684	9.0%	70.2%	23
116	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	4,948	$9,822	7.3%	45.9%	22
117	Tea Area School District 41-5	2,361	$8,726	7.9%	39.3%	21
118	Dakota Valley School District 61-8	1,387	$10,430	8.8%	66.0%	21
119	Lennox School District 41-4	1,211	$10,086	7.8%	55.8%	19
120	Chester Area School District 39-1	576	$9,721	9.2%	55.3%	19
121	Hamlin School District 28-3	870	$9,103	15.6%	52.3%	17

How the Equity Score Works

The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness. According to the National Center for Education Statistics F-33 Finance Survey (FY 2021-22, released in 2024), which covers more than 17,000 districts nationwide, local property wealth drives most of the spending differences the score captures; our methodology documents each weight:

Per-Pupil Spending (0-25)

Higher spending relative to peers

Need-Adjusted Spending (0-25)

Spending weighted by poverty level, rewards districts that spend more where need is greatest

Funding Diversity (0-25)

Less reliance on local property taxes, more state/federal support

Resource Access (0-25)

Lower student-teacher ratios = more individualized attention

National Equity Rankings → ← Back to South Dakota

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