A total of 138,075 kids are walking the halls of South Dakota’s 693 schools this year in 149 public districts. The state Department of Education published data that goes down to each individual school.
Both on-time graduations and the state’s high school completion rate have increased over last year. Though students who face economic disadvantages, are in foster care or are experiencing homelessness are notably less likely to complete schooling.
Coursework readiness continues to drop in the state. That metric was recorded at 82 percent in the 2020-21 school year and has dropped by 10 percent since. Further, assessment readiness metrics – scores on state tests or ACT subsections – have also fallen during the same time.
English as a second language poses a challenge for educators and students alike. According to the data, which was based on South Dakota English language proficiency scores, just 32 percent of ESL students are deemed “on track” to attain language mastery within the next five years. Thirty-one percent are “growing, but not on target.”
Sixty-two percent of South Dakota students are continuing to higher education options with an average ACT score of 22. Just under half of college-bound students plan to attend a public or private South Dakota institution. The top four destinations for the state's students are South Dakota State, USD, Lake Area Tech and Southeast Tech.
Due to COVID-19, some data, like the year-to-year improvements of student test results, isn’t available. Overall student performance in English, math and science assessments largely held steady.