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Ivan Cobel HouseIvan Cobel House · Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+
Schools in Brookings · Brookings School District 05-1

Brookings’s public schools score below 60% of South Dakota districts on tests and graduation

On the state math tests, 36% of Brookings’s students scored proficient, below the South Dakota average (42%). The grade covers the public school district serving Brookings, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within South Dakota, not nationally.

#24of 35 South Dakota townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From South Dakota state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
51%
▲ 0 pts vs SD 51%
2021–22
Math proficiency
36%
▼ 6 pts vs SD 42%
2021–22
Graduate on time
86%
▲ 2 pts vs SD 84%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$12.9K
▼ 1% vs SD $13.0K
FY2024
Students per teacher
15.1
SD 13.7 · larger classes
Schools in town
8
3,465 students on the public path
In brief

Brookings’s schools, in brief

Above the state in reading, below in math

Reading proficiency is 51% and math 36% in spring 2022, against 51% and 42% statewide; 86% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 84%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $12,882 per student, against $13,040 across South Dakota (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

Three elementary schools, then one middle and one high school

Which elementary school depends on the address; from grade 6 the district’s path is George S. Mickelson Middle School - 02, then Brookings High School - 01. See the path ↓

Choice beyond the district

St. Thomas More Catholic School (private) and Peace Lutheran School (private) are in town. Bobcat Plains Academy High School - 92, an online school, is based here too; it isn’t counted as a local school. Every school ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Brookings’s grade

C Test scoresB− Graduation

C+: better than 40% of South Dakota school districts, #24 of 35 South Dakota towns. Graduation is above the South Dakota average; test scores are below it.

South Dakota school districts we grade (147)Better than 40%
Lower resultsHigher results
South Dakota towns with similar household incomes (297)Better than 38%
CBA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 1,782 test results and a graduating class of 246 could put Brookings anywhere from C to B. The tests are from spring 2022, when 100% of Brookings’s students in the tested grades sat them (1,784 in math, 1,781 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Brookings, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–33 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressB− to B
6–8George S. Mickelson Middle School - 02Brookings School District 05-1C+
9–12Brookings High School - 01Brookings School District 05-1B

Brookings’s public schools are run by Brookings School District 05-1, which also serves Afton, Alton, Aurora and Aurora and others. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Brookings School District 05-1Grades PK–12 · 8 schools · 3,546 students · 15.1 per teacher (SD 13.7)
$12,882SD $13,040 · FY2024
C+
Test scores · 2021–22

Close to the state in reading

Reading51%
State average 51% · 1781 students tested
Math36%
State average 42.2% · 1784 students tested

Brookings vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the South Dakota towns that share Brookings’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
BrookingsC+Brookings School District 05-1
Brookings Township—Brookings School District 05-1 PK–12 · Sioux Valley School District 05-5 K–12
Aurora—Brookings School District 05-1
MedaryC+Brookings School District 05-1
Trenton—Brookings School District 05-1 PK–12 · Elkton School District 05-3 PK–12

All 4 neighbors share Brookings School District 05-1 with Brookings, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.

Every school in Brookings

9 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with South Dakota’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Brookingsby address
Dakota Prairie Elementary - 07
Elementary · Grades PK–3
B
509 students15:1Rate it →
Medary Elementary - 05
Elementary · Grades PK–3
B
358 students13:1Rate it →
Hillcrest Elementary - 04
Elementary · Grades PK–3
B−
316 students14:1Rate it →
Camelot Intermediate - 06
Elementary · Grades 4–5
C
523 students17:1Rate it →
George S. Mickelson Middle School - 02
Middle · Grades 6–8
C+
780 students14:1Rate it →
Brookings High School - 01
High · Grades 9–12
B
979 students17:1Rate it →
Online schools based in Brookingsnot counted as local schools
Bobcat Plains Academy High School - 92
High · Grades 9–12
Online
77 studentsRate it →
Private schoolstuition; no state tests, so no grade
St. Thomas More Catholic School
Elementary · Grades PK–4
Private · Catholic
116 students11:1Rate it →
Peace Lutheran School
Elementary · Grades K–3
Private · Religious
13 students12:1Rate it →

Left off: 2 public programs with fewer than 25 students (Bobcat Plains Academy Middle School - 93 and Bobcat Plains Academy Elementary School - 94).

Questions about Brookings’s schools

Are Brookings’s schools good?

On South Dakota’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Brookings children attend score below 60% of South Dakota’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade, #24 of 35 South Dakota towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 38%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Brookings in?

Brookings School District 05-1, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 3,546 students in 8 schools (2024–25).

Where do Brookings kids go to high school?

Brookings High School - 01, with 979 students; its own test results earn a B.

What is Brookings’s graduation rate?

86% of the class of 2023 in Brookings School District 05-1 graduated in four years, against 84% across South Dakota.

How much does Brookings spend per student?

$12,882 in Brookings School District 05-1 (FY2024), against $13,040 across South Dakota. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Are there private schools in Brookings?

Yes: St. Thomas More Catholic School (Catholic, grades PK–4, 116 students) and Peace Lutheran School (religious, grades K–3, 13 students).

Parents talk

What Brookings families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Brookings → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within South Dakota. Stars are from neighbors.