Best High Schools in South Dakota

The top 50 high schools (grades 9-12) in South Dakota, ranked by enrollment from NCES data with EDFacts proficiency rates where available. Average proficiency across this list is 59%.

#	School	City	Enrollment	Proficiency
1	Washington High School - 01	Sioux Falls, SD	1,910	55%
2	Lincoln High School - 02	Sioux Falls, SD	1,883	65%
3	Central High School - 41	Rapid City, SD	1,768	46%
4	Jefferson High School - 67	Sioux Falls, SD	1,749	63%
5	Roosevelt High School - 03	Sioux Falls, SD	1,713	57%
6	Stevens High School - 42	Rapid City, SD	1,686	70%
7	Harrisburg High School - 01	Harrisburg, SD	1,613	65%
8	Central High School - 01	Aberdeen, SD	1,388	54%
9	Brandon Valley High School - 01	Brandon, SD	1,345	64%
10	Watertown High School - 01	Watertown, SD	1,220	70%
11	Brookings High School - 01	Brookings, SD	1,050	65%
12	Yankton High School - 01	Yankton, SD	942	53%
13	Mitchell High School - 01	Mitchell, SD	896	50%
14	Sturgis Brown High School - 01	Sturgis, SD	842	71%
15	T F Riggs High School - 01	Pierre, SD	842	73%
16	Huron High School - 01	Huron, SD	836	50%
17	Spearfish High School - 01	Spearfish, SD	796	62%
18	Douglas High School - 03	Box Elder, SD	749	56%
19	Tea Area High School - 03	Tea, SD	610	60%
20	Todd County High School - 01	Mission, SD	496	34%
21	Lakota Tech High School - 10	Batesland, SD	449	27%
22	Dakota Valley High School - 01	North Sioux City, SD	448	64%
23	Vermillion High School - 01	Vermillion, SD	430	63%
24	West Central High School - 01	Hartford, SD	403	60%
25	Belle Fourche High School - 01	Belle Fourche, SD	383	58%
26	Madison High School - 01	Madison, SD	382	55%
27	Lennox High School - 01	Lennox, SD	359	60%
28	Milbank High School - 01	Milbank, SD	359	69%
29	Rapid City High School - 45	Rapid City, SD	356	58%
30	Sisseton High School - 01	Sisseton, SD	296	50%
31	Dell Rapids High School - 01	Dell Rapids, SD	290	69%
32	Custer High School - 01	Custer, SD	284	71%
33	Canton High School - 01	Canton, SD	283	72%
34	Tri-Valley High School - 01	Colton, SD	276	69%
35	Chamberlain High School - 01	Chamberlain, SD	272	47%
36	Hot Springs High School - 01	Hot Springs, SD	255	66%
37	Hamlin High School - 01	Hayti, SD	233	66%
38	Beresford High School - 01	Beresford, SD	227	71%
39	Sioux Valley High School - 01	Volga, SD	224	63%
40	Lead-Deadwood High School - 01	Lead, SD	222	61%
41	Elk Point-Jefferson High School - 01	Elk Point, SD	214	65%
42	Flandreau High School - 01	Flandreau, SD	210	66%
43	Winner High School - 01	Winner, SD	210	50%
44	Mobridge High School - 01	Mobridge, SD	182	54%
45	Wagner High School - 01	Wagner, SD	180	35%
46	Groton Area High School - 01	Groton, SD	175	60%
47	McLaughlin High School - 01	McLaughlin, SD	165	28%
48	Baltic High School - 01	Baltic, SD	162	76%
49	Redfield High School - 01	Redfield, SD	162	67%
50	Webster Area High School - 01	Webster, SD	161	57%

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best high school in South Dakota?

The largest high school in South Dakota is Washington High School - 01 in Sioux Falls with 1,910 students and a 55% proficiency rate. Rankings are based on NCES Common Core of Data enrollment and EDFacts proficiency results.

How many high schools are in South Dakota?

This page shows the top 50 high schools (grades 9-12) in South Dakota by enrollment. Browse the full state directory to see all schools.

What does the proficiency rate measure?

Proficiency rate is the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards on combined math and reading assessments, as reported by EDFacts. Data is district-level and applied to each school in the district.

Where does this data come from?

Enrollment and school characteristics come from the NCES Common Core of Data. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results. Both are official federal datasets published by the U.S. Department of Education.

Sources: NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts

Last updated: April 2026

Schools are ranked by enrollment within the state. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results, district-level figures applied to each school in the district.