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Dell Rapids School District 49-3

Public school districtGrades K–12Regional · 9 towns

Serves Dell Rapids, Dell Rapids Township, Burk Township, Lynn Township, Enterprise Township, Logan Township, Blinsmon Township, Highland Township and Alliance Township, and parts of Sverdrup Township and Taopi Township.

Dell Rapids’ School Grade A better than 88% of South Dakota school districts

Students
965
Schools
3
Spent per student
$11,212
SD $13,040
Students per teacher
15:1
Free or reduced lunch
15%
Debt
$16.3M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Dell Rapids School District 49-3

  • Its letter, A: results better than 88% of South Dakota districts
  • Math proficiency 24 pts above the state
  • Reading proficiency 15 pts above the state
  • Spends 14% less per student than the SD average
  • 15 students per teacher
  • Debt of $16.3M, about $16,893 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

A: better than 88% of the 147 South Dakota school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
A+
GraduationFour-year graduation above the state, class of 2023
B−
The towns it serves, and their School Grades

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Dell Rapids. Grade by grade →

Test scores vs. SD

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency66%
State average 42.2% · 495 students tested
Reading / language arts66%
State average 51% · 492 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)85–89%
State average 84% · 61 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$11,212 per student · 14% below SD
Spending
Classroom instruction 57%Support & administration 37%Other 6%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 59%State 34%Federal 7%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
975’20
984’21
982’22
973’23
965’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 91%Hispanic 4%Two or more races 3%American Indian/Alaska Native 1%Black <1%Asian <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

3 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with South Dakota’s other public schools.

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within South Dakota.