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De Smet School District 38-2

405 Sw 3rd Street Sw
De Smet, SD 57231
(District boundaries shown in map)
4/
10
Bottom 50%
For the 2025-26 school year, there is 1 public preschool serving 178 students in De Smet School District 38-2. This district's average pre testing ranking is 7/10, which is in the top 50% of public pre schools in South Dakota.
Public Preschool in De Smet School District 38-2 have an average math proficiency score of 47% (versus the South Dakota public pre school average of 44%), and reading proficiency score of 57% (versus the 45% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 7% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the South Dakota public preschool average of 34% (majority American Indian and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (SD)
# Schools
3 Schools
145 Schools
# Students
354 Students
30,673 Students
# Teachers
26 Teachers
2,364 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
14:1
14:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

De Smet School District 38-2, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 146 school districts in South Dakota (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 80% has stayed relatively flat over five school years.
This School District
State Average (SD)
#89 out of 148 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
36%
42%
50-54%
51%
40-44%
42%
(21-22)
≥80%
82%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.13
0.54
% American Indian
1%
13%
% Asian
n/a
1%
% Hispanic
4%
9%
% Black
1%
5%
% White
93%
66%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
1%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $12,960 in this school district is less than the state median of $13,146. The school district revenue/student has declined by 16% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $11,424 is less than the state median of $12,647. The school district spending/student has declined by 16% over four school years.
This School District
This State (SD)
Total Revenue
$5 MM
$1,916 MM
Spending
$4 MM
$1,844 MM
Revenue / Student
$12,960
$13,146
Spending / Student
$11,424
$12,647

Best De Smet School District 38-2 Public Preschools (2025-26)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02
(Math: 45-49% | Reading: 55-59%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
407 Ingalls Ave Sw
De Smet, SD 57231
(605) 854-3963
Gr: PK-5 | 178 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 7%

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Quick Facts (2025-26)

  • District size: 3 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 354 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 7%
  • : ≥80% (Btm 50% in SD)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 36% (Btm 50%)
  • : 50-54% (Top 50%)
  • : 40-44% (Top 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), SD Dept. of Education

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