South Dakota is made up of 66 counties and 143 public school districts. Each county is responsible for providing educational services to local residents through its own district. The state also has several charter schools that are independently operated and funded by the state.
The majority of South Dakota’s public school districts are located in small towns and rural areas, though some larger cities have multiple school districts serving their students. Sioux Falls, for example, has four separate school districts: Sioux Falls School District (SFSD), Brandon Valley School District (BVSD), Harrisburg School District (HSD), and Tea Area School District (TASD). Rapid City also has four separate school districts: Rapid City Area Schools (RCAS), Douglas County School District (DCSD), Meade County School District (MCSD) and Pennington County School District (PCSD).
Each district offers a variety of educational programs to its students including elementary, middle, high schools as well as vocational-technical schools. In addition to traditional public schools, South Dakota also provides several alternative educational options including magnet schools, virtual learning academies, homeschooling programs, and dual language immersion programs. These options allow families to find an education that best suits their needs.
There are many public and private high schools in the state of South Dakota. It is rather difficult for you to choose one that fits you most. In order for you to better evaluate your choice, we have ranked these high schools based on latest SAT/ACT scores, graduation rates, and state test scores from the South Dakota Department of Education. See below for top 13 high schools throughout the state of South Dakota.
| # | High Schools | Honor |
| 1 |
Arlington High School
Arlington School District 38-1 School District Kingsbury County 306 S Main Arlington, SD 57212 Telephone: (605) 983-5598 |
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| 2 |
Armour High School
Armour School District 21-1 School District Douglas County 604 3rd St Armour, SD 57313 Telephone: (605) 724-2153 |
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| 3 |
Avon High School
Avon School District 04-1 School District Bon Homme County 210 Pine St Avon, SD 57315 Telephone: (605) 286-3291 |
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| 4 |
Bridgewater High School
Bridgewater School District 43-6 School District McCook County 510 N Main Bridgewater, SD 57319 Telephone: (605) 729-2541 |
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| 5 |
Britton-Hecla High School
Britton-Hecla School District 45-4 School District Marshall County 759 5th St Britton, SD 57430 Telephone: (605) 448-2234 |
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| 6 |
Clark High School
Clark School District 12-2 School District Clark County 220 N Clinton Clark, SD 57225 Telephone: (605) 532-3605 |
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| 7 |
Corsica High School
Corsica School District 21-2 School District Douglas County 120 S. Napoleon Ave. Corsica, SD 57328 Telephone: (605) 946-5475 |
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| 8 |
De Smet High School
De Smet School District 38-2 School District Kingsbury County 405 3rd St SW De Smet, SD 57231 Telephone: (605) 854-3423 |
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| 9 |
Emery High School
Emery School District 30-2 School District Hanson County 130 E 6th St Emery, SD 57332 Telephone: (605) 449-4271 |
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| 10 |
Eureka High School
Eureka School District 44-1 School District McPherson County 706 9th St Eureka, SD 57437 Telephone: (605) 284-2521 |
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| 11 |
Harding County High School
Harding County School District 31-1 School District Harding County 102 West Allison St Buffalo, SD 57720 Telephone: (605) 375-3241 |
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| 12 |
Jones County High School
Jones County School District 37-3 School District Jones County 404 Jackson Murdo, SD 57559 Telephone: (605) 669-2258 |
Bronze |
| 13 |
Miller High School
Miller Area School District 29-3 School District Hand County 623 E 4th St Miller, SD 57362 Telephone: (605) 853-2455 |
Silver |
South Dakota Facts
- The official name of the state is the State of South Dakota.
- State region – Northwest Central States, Midwest USA
- State area – 199,729 km 2 (including land – 196,540 km 2 and water surface – 3,189 km 2), 17th place among US states
- State length:
- from north to south – 338 km
- from west to east – 612 km
- The height of the relief of the state above sea level:
- maximum – 2,208 m
- minimum – 295 m
- State Time Zone – US Central Time Zone (50 counties) and US Mountain Time Zone (16 counties)
- Date of foundation of the state – November 2, 1889 (40th state in the United States)
- The state capital is Pyrrhus.
- The largest city in the state is Sioux Falls.
- The population of the state is about 890,000 people (46th place among US states)
- The population density in the state is about 4.4 people / km 2 (46th place among US states)
- The average household income in the state is about $ 56,520 (30th place among US states)
- The state motto is Under God the People Rule.
- State Nicknames – “Mount Rushmore State”
- The state abbreviation is SD
The state of South Dakota is located in the Midwest of the United States and belongs to the Northwest Central States. South Dakota is bordered by the states of Minnesota to the east, Iowa to the southeast, Nebraska to the south, Wyoming to the southwest, Montana to the northwest, and North Dakota to the north.
South Dakota is located in the US Interior Plains. The eastern part of the state is predominantly hilly lowlands with fertile soils, to the west of the Missouri River the slopes of the Coteau du Missouri plateau rise. In the west of South Dakota, on the border with Wyoming, the Black Hills region (“Black Hills”) is located – a relatively small area, but the highest mountain range east of the Rocky Mountains.
South Dakota has a continental climate with long, cold winters, hot summers, and short but pronounced springs and autumns. The western regions of the state are arid, in the east there is much more precipitation, mainly in summer.
The state of South Dakota got its name in honor of the Dakota Indians (one of the Sioux peoples) who lived on these lands.
Some National Historic Landmarks in South Dakota
- Bear Butte (“Bear Rock”) is a huge rock in the west of South Dakota (near the town of Sturgis), which was an object of worship for numerous tribes of the Plains Indians.
- The historic district of the city of Deadwood, which grew up in the Black Hills region in the seventies of the XIX century during the “gold rush”.
- Wounded Knee Massacre, where in 1890 more than 200 Indians and more than 50 servicemen were killed or wounded during clashes between US Army units and Indians.
- Frawley Ranch in the Spearfish area is one of the largest and most successful livestock farms in western South Dakota, founded in the late 19th century.
- Battle Mountain Sanitarium is a hospital for veterans of the United States It was built in 1907 in the city of Hot Springs, famous for its mineral springs.