Top High Schools in South Dakota

According to Prozipcodes, 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. If you are interested in the list of all school districts and counties within South Dakota, you can find it on COUNTRYAAH in alphabetical order.

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.