How equitable is school funding in South Dakota?

The average funding equity score for South Dakota school districts is 50 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).

School Funding Equity in South Dakota

Reviewed by PlainSchools Editorial, K12 Schools Editorial Team · June 4, 2026

121 districts ranked by equity score — how equitably is school funding distributed? Equity is computed from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states. See our methodology.

State Avg Score

National Avg Score

Highly Equitable (70+)

Low Equity (<30)

#	District	Enrollment	$/Pupil	Free Lunch	Local Rev %	Score
1	Eagle Butte School District 20-1	362	$41,197	84.3%	10.1%	100
2	McLaughlin School District 15-2	442	$26,392	100.0%	13.5%	95
3	Timber Lake School District 20-3	362	$21,536	26.8%	11.7%	94
4	Wagner Community School District 11-4	905	$25,608	100.0%	11.4%	92
5	White River School District 47-1	419	$18,345	100.0%	15.0%	92
6	Andes Central School District 11-1	340	$19,078	100.0%	25.2%	92
7	Rosholt School District 54-4	231	$29,475	40.4%	35.2%	91
8	Bennett County School District 03-1	490	$23,044	100.0%	12.2%	90
9	Kadoka Area School District 35-2	328	$18,760	33.3%	32.8%	90
10	Dupree School District 64-2	405	$22,059	99.9%	13.9%	88
11	Todd County School District 66-1	2,047	$19,111	100.0%	5.9%	85
12	Chamberlain School District 07-1	851	$16,167	39.4%	40.2%	82
13	Wilmot School District 54-7	222	$15,794	37.9%	43.2%	81
14	Avon School District 04-1	224	$16,494	14.1%	39.2%	80
15	Oglala Lakota County 65-1	1,797	$27,524	100.0%	2.0%	78
16	Lyman School District 42-1	370	$17,480	25.9%	48.0%	77
17	Leola School District 44-2	210	$19,162	16.1%	55.0%	74
18	Parker School District 60-4	491	$21,085	6.5%	49.5%	70
19	Wall School District 51-5	283	$15,264	20.3%	44.6%	70
20	Agar-Blunt-Onida School District 58-3	231	$21,025	15.9%	88.8%	69
21	Harding County School District 31-1	224	$19,801	15.8%	66.6%	69
22	Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1	736	$17,876	40.9%	82.8%	68
23	Canistota School District 43-1	293	$17,322	16.4%	49.8%	67
24	Newell School District 09-2	289	$15,825	30.5%	50.2%	67
25	Tri-Valley School District 49-6	945	$22,169	9.3%	58.9%	65
26	Miller 29-4	457	$34,074	7.4%	72.4%	65
27	Menno School District 33-2	288	$15,396	37.1%	61.1%	65
28	Lemmon School District 52-4	283	$28,945	16.9%	63.8%	65
29	Montrose School District 43-2	259	$16,660	11.8%	44.3%	64
30	Sanborn Central School District 55-5	210	$14,881	14.7%	56.4%	64
31	Custer School District 16-1	911	$20,373	17.4%	77.4%	63
32	Corsica-Stickney 21-3	276	$17,707	10.3%	63.4%	63
33	Armour School District 21-1	219	$14,561	17.2%	54.5%	63
34	Plankinton School District 01-1	283	$14,212	18.9%	49.1%	62
35	Huron School District 02-2	2,906	$13,519	50.1%	35.9%	61
36	Deubrook Area School District 05-6	423	$23,094	7.8%	60.2%	59
37	Gettysburg School District 53-1	211	$14,640	11.8%	59.2%	59
38	Sisseton School District 54-2	979	$12,821	46.5%	39.2%	58
39	Mobridge-Pollock 62-6	571	$13,193	23.1%	45.2%	58
40	Bridgewater-Emery 30-3	333	$14,428	21.7%	60.2%	58
41	Scotland School District 04-3	297	$14,651	19.0%	53.9%	58
42	Burke School District 26-2	237	$15,838	21.7%	55.1%	58
43	Harrisburg School District 41-2	5,912	$16,032	8.3%	58.8%	57
44	Parkston School District 33-3	562	$12,071	51.4%	47.8%	57
45	Stanley County School District 57-1	416	$15,216	17.9%	67.7%	57
46	Alcester-Hudson School District 61-1	352	$14,754	15.9%	58.8%	57
47	Estelline School District 28-2	274	$15,765	17.1%	62.4%	57
48	Kimball School District 07-2	357	$13,783	45.8%	56.8%	56
49	Irene - Wakonda School District 13-3	293	$14,941	19.8%	63.8%	56
50	Iroquois School District 02-3	241	$15,565	27.1%	69.5%	56
51	Clark School District 12-2	482	$13,665	45.4%	64.0%	55
52	Waverly School District 14-5	271	$14,187	15.0%	45.1%	54
53	Milbank School District 25-4	1,033	$14,405	19.5%	60.9%	52
54	Hanson School District 30-1	396	$13,774	10.5%	49.6%	52
55	Mount Vernon School District 17-3	273	$14,369	16.0%	46.6%	52
56	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	25,123	$12,493	37.4%	48.1%	51
57	Flandreau School District 50-3	694	$12,715	—	43.0%	51
58	Gregory School District 26-4	431	$12,834	32.6%	52.7%	51
59	Faulkton Area Schools 24-4	386	$14,611	12.9%	66.3%	50
60	Castlewood School District 28-1	334	$14,294	7.9%	40.4%	50
61	Centerville School District 60-1	290	$14,083	9.6%	45.3%	50
62	Hitchcock Tulare School District 56-6	232	$14,508	17.2%	77.3%	50
63	Winner School District 59-2	814	$13,308	33.9%	45.6%	49
64	Platte - Geddes School District 11-5	512	$14,906	7.1%	64.7%	49
65	Florence School District 14-1	308	$12,599	16.8%	36.6%	49
66	Highmore-Harrold 34-2	222	$14,299	17.3%	65.9%	49
67	Douglas School District 51-1	2,750	$12,792	20.9%	21.1%	48
68	Warner School District 06-5	314	$14,521	6.2%	46.8%	48
69	Langford Area 45-5	242	$14,187	27.2%	65.2%	48
70	Watertown School District 14-4	3,803	$12,416	24.3%	49.1%	44
71	Belle Fourche School District 09-1	1,329	$11,450	26.7%	38.6%	44
72	Aberdeen School District 06-1	4,326	$11,519	27.2%	47.7%	43
73	Elkton School District 05-3	441	$15,370	21.3%	75.0%	43
74	De Smet School District 38-2	327	$15,189	13.2%	63.6%	43
75	Arlington School District 38-1	303	$15,367	11.0%	68.5%	42
76	Colman-Egan School District 50-5	296	$14,816	10.9%	52.8%	41
77	Spearfish School District 40-2	2,423	$11,695	10.8%	56.5%	40
78	Hot Springs School District 23-2	772	$11,858	17.3%	51.7%	38
79	Sioux Valley School District 05-5	739	$12,925	9.4%	47.7%	37
80	McCook Central School District 43-7	434	$14,428	12.5%	54.5%	37
81	Viborg-Hurley School District 60-6	418	$12,280	16.5%	56.7%	37
82	Freeman School District 33-1	404	$14,319	16.3%	63.4%	37
83	Gayville-Volin School District 63-1	289	$11,808	15.0%	34.9%	37
84	Meade School District 46-1	3,058	$10,790	18.2%	51.4%	36
85	Beresford School District 61-2	708	$12,393	14.4%	51.5%	36
86	Bon Homme School District 04-2	589	$11,887	19.5%	50.6%	36
87	Redfield School District 56-4	555	$11,534	16.7%	64.6%	36
88	Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6	359	$13,722	21.6%	64.0%	36
89	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	12,747	$11,988	42.5%	54.3%	34
90	Canton School District 41-1	874	$12,554	9.9%	59.6%	34
91	Brookings School District 05-1	3,431	$11,480	15.9%	51.4%	33
92	Pierre School District 32-2	2,762	$11,313	23.4%	43.0%	33
93	Vermillion School District 13-1	1,436	$11,476	26.6%	53.1%	32
94	Dell Rapids School District 49-3	982	$12,415	8.1%	56.3%	32
95	Britton-Hecla School District 45-4	476	$13,830	30.7%	69.1%	32
96	Howard School District 48-3	351	$14,443	6.1%	73.7%	32
97	Garretson School District 49-4	460	$11,192	8.6%	53.4%	31
98	Wessington Springs School District 36-2	422	$14,251	13.2%	62.1%	31
99	Haakon School District 27-1	318	$13,883	5.4%	60.1%	30
100	Woonsocket School District 55-4	285	$11,156	15.6%	48.6%	30
101	Willow Lake School District 12-3	323	$11,726	16.0%	63.0%	29
102	Ethan School District 17-1	283	$11,165	9.6%	34.8%	29
103	Lennox School District 41-4	1,211	$12,955	7.8%	55.8%	28
104	Mitchell School District 17-2	2,722	$10,842	24.6%	46.0%	27
105	West Central School District 49-7	1,412	$11,621	10.0%	48.4%	27
106	Elk Point-Jefferson School District 61-7	688	$11,732	7.3%	51.6%	26
107	Hill City School District 51-2	493	$12,618	19.5%	76.4%	26
108	Ipswich Public School District 22-6	457	$12,232	13.6%	74.5%	26
109	Madison Central School District 39-2	1,147	$11,180	15.6%	63.6%	25
110	Webster Area 18-5	551	$12,380	14.5%	68.2%	25
111	Tea Area School District 41-5	2,361	$11,158	7.9%	39.3%	24
112	Baltic School District 49-1	608	$10,717	10.7%	42.5%	24
113	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	4,948	$11,135	7.3%	45.9%	23
114	Deuel School District 19-4	544	$12,022	10.1%	59.3%	23
115	New Underwood School District 51-3	291	$9,997	14.1%	35.5%	23
116	Yankton School District 63-3	3,036	$11,043	23.8%	50.3%	22
117	Groton Area School District 06-6	597	$12,197	7.3%	83.4%	22
118	Northwestern Area School District 56-7	336	$13,438	9.0%	70.2%	21
119	Hamlin School District 28-3	870	$10,485	15.6%	52.3%	19
120	Chester Area School District 39-1	576	$10,587	9.2%	55.3%	17
121	Dakota Valley School District 61-8	1,387	$11,258	8.8%	66.0%	13

How the Equity Score Works

The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness:

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.