Best public high schools in South Dakota
As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.
It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.5 million students enrolled in public PreK-12 schools in 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.
For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.
Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in South Dakota using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.
Editor's note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in South Dakota had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.
#30. West Central High School
- District: West Central School District
- Enrollment: 406 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#29. Philip High School
- District: Haakon School District
- Enrollment: 101 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#28. Deubrook High School
- District: Deubrook Area Schools
- Enrollment: 115 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#27. Vermillion High School
- District: Vermillion School District
- Enrollment: 376 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#26. Wagner High School
- District: Wagner Community School District
- Enrollment: 199 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#25. Douglas High School
- District: Douglas School District
- Enrollment: 776 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#24. New Technology High School
- District: Sioux Falls School District
- Enrollment: 310 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#23. Spearfish High School
- District: Spearfish School District
- Enrollment: 694 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#22. Parkston High School
- District: Parkston School District
- Enrollment: 134 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#21. Belle Fourche High School
- District: Belle Fourche School District
- Enrollment: 423 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#20. Mobridge High School
- District: Mobridge-Pollock School District
- Enrollment: 196 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#19. Lyman High School
- District: Lyman School District
- Enrollment: 105 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#18. Central High School
- District: Aberdeen School District
- Enrollment: 1,408 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#17. Harrisburg High School
- District: Harrisburg School District
- Enrollment: 1,329 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#16. Freeman High School
- District: Freeman School District
- Enrollment: 75 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#15. T.F. Riggs High School
- District: Pierre School District
- Enrollment: 816 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#14. Sioux Valley High School
- District: Sioux Valley School District
- Enrollment: 196 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#13. Watertown High School
- District: Watertown School District
- Enrollment: 1,237 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#12. Elk Point-Jefferson High School
- District: Elk Point-Jefferson School District
- Enrollment: 200 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#11. Platte-Geddes High School
- District: Platte-Geddes School District
- Enrollment: 121 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#10. Mitchell High School
- District: Mitchell School District
- Enrollment: 858 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#9. Stevens High School
- District: Rapid City Area School District
- Enrollment: 1,737 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#8. Brookings High School
- District: Brookings School District
- Enrollment: 1,010 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#7. Hamlin High School
- District: Hamlin School District
- Enrollment: 234 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#6. Brandon Valley High School
- District: Brandon Valley School District
- Enrollment: 1,319 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#5. Roosevelt High School
- District: Sioux Falls School District
- Enrollment: 2,543 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#4. Lincoln High School
- District: Sioux Falls School District
- Enrollment: 2,117 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#3. Dakota Valley High School
- District: Dakota Valley School District
- Enrollment: 396 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#2. Hill City High School
- District: Hill City School District
- Enrollment: 168 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#1. Washington High School
- District: Sioux Falls School District
- Enrollment: 1,975 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
