South Dakota Education: A Comprehensive Analysis of Rankings and Statistics

Finding the best public school is a priority for many families, and understanding the educational landscape of a state is crucial for making informed decisions. With about 51 million public school students in the United States, public schools play a vital role in their respective communities, improving communities and the welfare of children. Public schools welcome all children, no matter their income level, disability, or previous academic performance, and many provide school meals, helping children from food-insecure families get nutritious food every day. This article delves into the education ranking statistics for South Dakota, providing a comprehensive overview of the state's performance across various key indicators.

South Dakota's Overall Education Ranking

Based on a comprehensive analysis of data, the Quality Counts report card answers a key question: Where does my state rank for educational opportunities and performance? States are graded and ranked in three categories: Chance for Success (January), School Finance (June), and K-12 Achievement (September). South Dakota finishes 28th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, with an overall score of 74.2 out of 100 points and a grade of C. The nation as a whole posts a grade of C. This overall ranking provides a general context for evaluating the state's education system.

However, it's important to note that in March, Education Week announced the end of the Quality Counts report after 25 years of serving as a comprehensive K-12 education scorecard. In response to new challenges and a shifting landscape, they are refocusing their efforts on research and analysis to better serve the K-12 community.

Chance for Success

Diving into the findings for the three graded indices, South Dakota earns a B-minus in the Chance-for-Success category and ranks 17th. The average state earns a C-plus. The EdWeek Research Center developed the Chance-for-Success Index to better understand the role that education plays in promoting positive outcomes across an individual’s lifetime. Based on an original state-by-state analysis, this index combines information from 13 indicators that span a person’s life from cradle to career. Those indicators fall into three sub-sections: early foundations, school years, and adult outcomes. The index evaluates each state using a range of measuring sticks, including: How educated are parents? What share of 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in preschool? Are K-12 students proficient in reading and math? What’s the high school graduation rate? What percentage of adults have steady employment?

For early foundations, which examines factors that help children get off to a good start, South Dakota earns an A and ranks sixth. South Dakota receives a C-plus for the school years, a sub-category focusing on metrics related to pre-K enrollment through postsecondary participation. It finishes 22nd in the nation in this area. In the area of adult outcomes, based on postsecondary educational attainment and workforce indicators, South Dakota’s grade is a C-plus. It ranks 24th in the nation. This suggests that while South Dakota provides a strong foundation for early childhood education, there is room for improvement in supporting students through their school years and into adulthood.

Read also: Applying to USF Doctoral Programs

School Finance

In School Finance, South Dakota receives a D-plus and ranks 38th. The average state earns a grade of C in School Finance. The school finance analysis examines two critical aspects of school spending. The spending metrics shed light on major questions, such as: What does the state spend per-pupil when adjusted for regional cost differences? average? What share of total taxable resources are spent on education? Across the spending indicators, South Dakota finishes with an F compared with a national average of D. For each state, topics covered by the equity analysis include: To what degree does funding for property-poor districts differ from that of their wealthier counterparts? How different are the spending levels of the highest- and lowest-spending districts? On the equity measures, South Dakota receives a B-plus, which places it 24th in the national rankings. This indicates that while the state may struggle with overall school funding, it performs relatively well in ensuring equitable distribution of resources.

K-12 Achievement

For the K-12 Achievement Index, South Dakota finishes 28th with a grade of C-minus. The average state earns a grade of C in K-12 Achievement. The K-12 Achievement Index examines 18 distinct achievement measures related to reading and math performance, high school graduation rates, and the results of Advanced Placement exams. The index assigns equal weight to current levels of performance and changes over time. It also places an emphasis on equity, by examining both poverty-based gaps and progress in closing those gaps. Indicators in the index can be broken down into three sub-categories: status, change, and equity. The index provides information on key questions, such as: What percentage of 4th and 8th graders are proficient in reading and math? How has student achievement changed over time? How large are gaps between low-income students and their more affluent peers? Have those gaps narrowed over time?

Measures in the status sub-category evaluate a state’s current performance. South Dakota receives a C-minus in this area and ranks 24th in the nation. The change sub-category examines a state’s improvement over time. In this area, South Dakota posts a D-minus and ranks 41st. In the equity sub-section, states are graded based on disparities between low-income students and their more affluent peers. South Dakota’s grade on those poverty-gap measures stands at a B-plus. Nationally, it ranks ninth in this area. This suggests that while South Dakota's current K-12 achievement is below average, it excels in equity, indicating efforts to support low-income students. However, the state struggles with improving achievement over time.

Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic

The September installment of Quality Counts 2020 also focuses on the factors that might have placed students at greater risk for learning loss as the coronavirus pandemic forced school closures and remote learning. The EdWeek Research Center’s Coronavirus Learning Loss Risk Index measures educational opportunities during the pandemic using eight indicators of instructional support and home technology access, including an evaluation of disparities associated with household educational attainment.

Reading is more of a concern in South Dakota than math, with 95% of students in districts with average reading achievement below levels. The latest report also provides the first high resolution picture of where South Dakota students’ academic recovery stood in Spring , just before federal relief dollars expired in September. While the National Assessment of Educational Progress described changes in average achievement by state, we combine those scores with district scores on state assessments to describe the change in local communities throughout South Dakota. Average student achievement in South Dakota remains just over one quarter of grade level below levels in math (.28 grade equivalents) and half a grade level below in reading (.52 grade equivalents). Yet 87 percent of students are in districts whose average math achievement in remained below their own levels. Reading is more of a concern in South Dakota than math, with 95 percent of students in districts with average reading achievement below levels. Still, there are bright spots: mean achievement for students in Kadoka Area and Lennox has surpassed levels in both reading and math.

Read also: Supporting South High Students

Public School System Overview

The South Dakota public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In , South Dakota had ,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. This suggests that South Dakota has a relatively low student-to-teacher ratio, which can be beneficial for student learning.

Student Achievement

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).

Graduation Rates and ACT/SAT Scores

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. Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. 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.

School Choice and Funding

School choice options in South Dakota included inter-district and intra-district open enrollment policies and online learning programs. 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 . 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. South Dakota spent approximately 14.1 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year . The state school systems' revenue came primarily from local funds. In South Dakota, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding during fiscal year , at $712 million. Public education expenditures in South Dakota totaled approximately $1.3 billion in fiscal year .

Teachers and Unions

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- school year to the - school year. 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).

Factors Influencing Education Quality

WalletHub ranked each state’s public schools for “Quality” and “Safety” using 33 relevant metrics. Metrics included high school graduation rate among low-income students, math and reading scores, median SAT and ACT scores, pupil-teach ratio, the share of armed students, the number of school shootings between 2000 and June , bullying incidence rate, and more.

Several states consistently rank high in public education quality:

Massachusetts: 48.8% of Massachusetts’s eligible schools ranked in the top 25% of high school rankings, a total of 167 schools. Massachusetts also has one of the lowest bullying incidence rates in the country and is considered one of the best states for teachers.
Connecticut: Connecticut students have the highest median ACT score of 25.5 and have the third-highest reading test scores. Connecticut spends about $18,958 per student, one of the highest per-pupil costs in the country.
New Jersey: New Jersey has the second-lowest dropout rate among states and the third-lowest pupil-to-teacher ratio. Additionally, students have the third-highest math test scores and the second-highest reading test scores in the nation. The state spends about $21,866 per student on average.
Virginia: Virginia public schools were found to have the fourth-highest math test scores in the country.
New Hampshire: New Hampshire schools have the fourth-highest reading test scores among states.

On the opposite end, the five states with the worst public schools are New Mexico, Alaska, Louisiana, Arizona, and West Virginia.

tags: #south #dakota #education #ranking #statistics