South Dakota schools ranked by test score
Latest SD Smarter Balanced year (2024-25). 220 schools with reported English Language Arts scores. State average: 50.4%.
| Rank | School | Level | English Language Arts | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Challenge Center - 51 Sioux Falls · Sioux Falls School District 49-5 | Elementary | 97.9% | +47.5pp |
| 2 | Warner Elementary - 02 Warner · Warner School District 06-5 | Elementary | 87.3% | +36.9pp |
| 3 | Fred Assam Elementary - 06 Sioux Falls · Brandon Valley School District 49-2 | Elementary | 85.7% | +35.3pp |
| 4 | Faulkton Elementary - 02 Faulkton · Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 | Elementary | 82.5% | +32.1pp |
| 5 | Adventure Elementary - 10 Sioux Falls · Harrisburg School District 41-2 | Elementary | 81.0% | +30.6pp |
| 6 | Inspiration Elementary - 08 Sioux Falls · Brandon Valley School District 49-2 | Elementary | 80.5% | +30.1pp |
| 7 | Burke Elementary - 02 Burke · Burke School District 26-2 | Elementary | 73.2% | +22.8pp |
| 8 | Tea Area Legacy Elementary - 01 Tea · Tea Area School District 41-5 | Elementary | 72.0% | +21.6pp |
| 9 | Arlington Elementary - 02 Arlington · Arlington School District 38-1 | Elementary | 71.4% | +21.0pp |
| 10 | Avon Elementary - 02 Avon · Avon School District 04-1 | Elementary | 71.4% | +21.0pp |
| 11 | Whitewood Elementary - 04 Whitewood · Meade School District 46-1 | Elementary | 70.6% | +20.2pp |
| 12 | All City Elementary - 50 Sioux Falls · Sioux Falls School District 49-5 | Elementary | 70.4% | +20.0pp |
| 13 | Robert Bennis Elementary - 05 Brandon · Brandon Valley School District 49-2 | Elementary | 70.4% | +20.0pp |
| 14 | Tyndall Elementary - 04 Tyndall · Bon Homme School District 04-2 | Elementary | 69.7% | +19.3pp |
| 15 | Lennox Elementary - 02 Lennox · Lennox School District 41-4 | Elementary | 69.6% | +19.2pp |
| 16 | Canistota Elementary - 02 Canistota · Canistota School District 43-1 | Elementary | 69.5% | +19.1pp |
| 17 | Groton Area Elementary - 02 Groton · Groton Area School District 06-6 | Elementary | 69.2% | +18.8pp |
| 18 | Sonia Sotomayor Elementary - 65 Sioux Falls · Sioux Falls School District 49-5 | Elementary | 68.8% | +18.4pp |
| 19 | Montrose Elementary - 02 Montrose · Montrose School District 43-2 | Elementary | 68.6% | +18.2pp |
| 20 | Langford Area Elementary - 02 Langford · Langford Area School District 45-5 | Elementary | 68.5% | +18.1pp |
| 21 | Centerville Elementary - 02 Centerville · Centerville School District 60-1 | Elementary | 67.9% | +17.5pp |
| 22 | Corsica-Stickney Elementary - 02 Stickney · Corsica-Stickney 21-3 | Elementary | 67.7% | +17.3pp |
| 23 | Hanson Elementary - 06 Alexandria · Hanson School District 30-1 | Elementary | 67.7% | +17.3pp |
| 24 | Brandon Elementary - 03 Brandon · Brandon Valley School District 49-2 | Elementary | 67.5% | +17.1pp |
| 25 | Selby Elementary - 02 Selby · Selby Area School District 62-5 | Elementary | 67.4% | +17.0pp |
| 26 | Worthing Elementary - 05 Worthing · Lennox School District 41-4 | Elementary | 67.4% | +17.0pp |
| 27 | Castlewood Elementary - 02 Castlewood · Castlewood School District 28-1 | Elementary | 67.2% | +16.8pp |
| 28 | Wessington Springs Elementary - 02 Wessington Springs · Wessington Springs School District 36-2 | Elementary | 66.2% | +15.8pp |
| 29 | C C Lee Elementary - 05 Aberdeen · Aberdeen School District 06-1 | Elementary | 66.0% | +15.6pp |
| 30 | Journey Elementary - 05 Sioux Falls · Harrisburg School District 41-2 | Elementary | 65.5% | +15.1pp |
| 31 | Gettysburg Elementary - 02 Gettysburg · Gettysburg School District 53-1 | Elementary | 65.4% | +15.0pp |
| 32 | Ipswich Elementary - 02 Ipswich · Ipswich Public School District 22-6 | Elementary | 64.9% | +14.5pp |
| 33 | Miller Elementary - 02 Miller · Miller School District 29-4 | Elementary | 64.9% | +14.5pp |
| 34 | Platte - Geddes Elementary - 02 Platte · Platte - Geddes School District 11-5 | Elementary | 64.8% | +14.4pp |
| 35 | Scotland Elementary - 02 Scotland · Scotland School District 04-3 | Elementary | 64.7% | +14.3pp |
| 36 | Custer Elementary - 02 Custer · Custer School District 16-1 | Elementary | 64.4% | +14.0pp |
| 37 | Buchanan Elementary - 03 Pierre · Pierre School District 32-2 | Elementary | 64.3% | +13.9pp |
| 38 | Dell Rapids Elementary - 02 Dell Rapids · Dell Rapids School District 49-3 | Elementary | 64.1% | +13.7pp |
| 39 | Milbank Elementary - 03 Milbank · Milbank School District 25-4 | Elementary | 64.1% | +13.7pp |
| 40 | Beadle Elementary - 03 Yankton · Yankton School District 63-3 | Elementary | 63.6% | +13.2pp |
| 41 | Baltic Elementary - 02 Baltic · Baltic School District 49-1 | Elementary | 62.4% | +12.0pp |
| 42 | Ethan Elementary - 02 Ethan · Ethan School District 17-1 | Elementary | 62.4% | +12.0pp |
| 43 | Tea Area Venture Elementary - 06 Tea · Tea Area School District 41-5 | Elementary | 62.3% | +11.9pp |
| 44 | Dakota Prairie Elementary - 07 Brookings · Brookings School District 05-1 | Elementary | 62.2% | +11.8pp |
| 45 | John Harris Elementary - 23 Sioux Falls · Sioux Falls School District 49-5 | Elementary | 62.2% | +11.8pp |
| 46 | Beresford Elementary - 02 Beresford · Beresford School District 61-2 | Elementary | 62.0% | +11.6pp |
| 47 | Howard Elementary - 02 Howard · Howard School District 48-3 | Elementary | 62.0% | +11.6pp |
| 48 | Hamlin Elementary - 09 Hayti · Hamlin School District 28-3 | Elementary | 61.7% | +11.3pp |
| 49 | Webster Area Elementary - 03 Webster · Webster Area School District 18-5 | Elementary | 61.7% | +11.3pp |
| 50 | Bridgewater-Emery Elementary - 02 Bridgewater · Bridgewater-Emery 30-3 | Elementary | 61.5% | +11.1pp |
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About this ranking
Schools are ranked by the percentage of students who scored at or above the SD Smarter Balanced % Proficient threshold on the latest available SD Smarter Balanced English Language Arts test (school year 2024-25). A higher percentage is better.
Only public schools with a reasonable cohort size are included (at least 50 total students enrolled, since the source file does not include per-subject student counts), so very small programs and special-purpose centers are filtered out.
The state average shown above is enrollment-weighted: we multiply each school's score by how many of its students tested, sum those across every public school in South Dakota, and divide by the total students tested. This way a big school counts more than a tiny one in the typical-student average.