Can I use Clark County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Clark County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Clark County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Clark County?

Start with the 11 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Clark County Schools & Education

Name: Clark County, South Dakota Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Clark County, South Dakota

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

16/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

75.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

75.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 82.4%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,618

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,409

School Score

16/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 38/100

State Score Position

#56

of 65 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Clark County

Measured School Summary

Clark County faces educational challenges with a school score of 16/100 and a graduation rate of 75.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $6,618 per pupil, Clark County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 57% below the South Dakota average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 7.4 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 11% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Clark County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

11 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

16/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #56 of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data.

Completion

75.0%

7.4 pts below the state average

Funding context

$6,618

$791 below the state average

School coverage

2 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Clark County has 11 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Clark County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Review-carefully county

Clark County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.

State position

#56

of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data. The county score is 22 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Clark School District 12-2

Elementary to high school visible

482 students

Elementary 4Middle 1High 1Other 0

6 listed schools in this county slice.

Willow Lake School District 12-3

Elementary to high school visible

303 students

Elementary 3Middle 1High 1Other 0

5 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Clark School District 12-2 is the largest listed district slice, with 6 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Clark County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Clark County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Clark County, South Dakota

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Small-Scale Schooling in Clark County

Clark County manages 11 public schools that serve a total of 785 students across two primary school districts. The infrastructure is heavily weighted toward early education, featuring seven elementary schools alongside two middle and two high schools.

Clark and Willow Lake Districts

Clark School District 12-2 is the county's largest, enrolling 482 students, while Willow Lake School District 12-3 serves 323 students. Public education here remains traditional, with 0% of schools operating as charters.

Rural Roots and Cozy Classrooms

The county's entire school system is rural, providing an average enrollment of just 71 students per school. Clark Elementary is the largest school with 201 students, offering a stark contrast to the county's smaller rural outposts.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Clark County

Reported Enrollment

785

11 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary7

Middle2

High2

Other0

2 School Districts in Clark County

Clark School District 12-2

6 schools

482 students

Willow Lake School District 12-3

6 schools

323 students

11 Public Schools in Clark County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

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Showing 11 of 11 matching schools

Public schools in Clark County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Clark Elementary - 02	Record	Clark School District 12-2	Clark, 57225Rural: Remote	PK–5	Primary	201
Willow Lake Elementary - 02	Record	Willow Lake School District 12-3	Willow Lake, 57278Rural: Remote	PK–5	Primary	144
Clark High School - 01	Record	Clark School District 12-2	Clark, 57225Rural: Remote	9–12	High	102
Clark Middle School - 03	Record	Clark School District 12-2	Clark, 57225Rural: Remote	6–8	Middle	87
Willow Lake Middle School - 03	Record	Willow Lake School District 12-3	Willow Lake, 57278Rural: Remote	6–8	Middle	58
Willow Lake High School - 01	Record	Willow Lake School District 12-3	Willow Lake, 57278Rural: Remote	9–12	High	57
Fordham Colony Elementary - 04	Record	Clark School District 12-2	Carpenter, 57322Rural: Remote	KG–8	Primary	37
Hillcrest Colony Elementary - 05	Record	Clark School District 12-2	Garden City, 57236Rural: Remote	KG–8	Primary	29
Mayfield Colony Elementary - 04	Record	Willow Lake School District 12-3	Willow Lake, 57278Rural: Remote	KG–8	Primary	28
Silver Lake Colony - 07	Record	Clark School District 12-2	Clark, 57225Rural: Remote	KG–8	Primary	26
Collins Colony Elementary - 06	Record	Willow Lake School District 12-3	Willow Lake, 57278Rural: Remote	KG–8	Primary	16

Clark Elementary - 02

Clark School District 12-2

Clark, 57225 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary201 students

Willow Lake Elementary - 02

Willow Lake School District 12-3

Willow Lake, 57278 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary144 students

Clark High School - 01

Clark School District 12-2

Clark, 57225 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High102 students

Clark Middle School - 03

Clark School District 12-2

Clark, 57225 / Rural: Remote

Record6–8Middle87 students

Willow Lake Middle School - 03

Willow Lake School District 12-3

Willow Lake, 57278 / Rural: Remote

Record6–8Middle58 students

Willow Lake High School - 01

Willow Lake School District 12-3

Willow Lake, 57278 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High57 students

Fordham Colony Elementary - 04

Clark School District 12-2

Carpenter, 57322 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary37 students

Hillcrest Colony Elementary - 05

Clark School District 12-2

Garden City, 57236 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary29 students

Mayfield Colony Elementary - 04

Willow Lake School District 12-3

Willow Lake, 57278 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary28 students

Silver Lake Colony - 07

Clark School District 12-2

Clark, 57225 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary26 students

Collins Colony Elementary - 06

Willow Lake School District 12-3

Willow Lake, 57278 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary16 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,618

State avg $7,409

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Clark County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which South Dakota counties have the highest graduation rates?

Deuel County (95.0%), Stanley County (95.0%), and Hamlin County (92.8%) currently lead South Dakota among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in South Dakota?

Across South Dakota counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,409. The highest current county values are Ziebach County ($13,420), Corson County ($10,486), and Sully County ($10,373). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Clark County?

Clark County has a school score of 16/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Clark County?

The high school graduation rate in Clark County is 75.0%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Clark County spend per student?

Clark County spends $6,618 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Clark County, South Dakota — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Clark County, South Dakota?

What are the major school districts in Clark County, South Dakota?

What is the school experience like in Clark County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Pennington County

South Dakota

-1 pts

15/100

School score

Beadle County

South Dakota

-2 pts

15/100

School score

Butte County

South Dakota

-2 pts

15/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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