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

No. Use the Corson 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 Corson 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 Corson County?

Start with the 9 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Corson County Schools & Education

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

Corson County, South Dakota

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

School Score

45/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

67.6%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

67.6%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 82.4%

Per-Pupil Spending

$10,486

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,409

School Score

45/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 38/100

State Score Position

#22

of 65 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Corson County

Measured School Summary

Corson County has midrange measured school signals (score: 45/100) with a graduation rate of 67.6%, which warrants review in official state and district records.

Funding Context

Corson County spends $10,486 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 19% above the South Dakota average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 14.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 42% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Corson 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

9 public schools and 3 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

45/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #22 of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data.

Completion

67.6%

14.8 pts below the state average

Funding context

$10,486

$3,077 above the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Corson County has 9 public schools across 3 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 Corson 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.

Mixed school landscape

Corson County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.

State position

#22

of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data. The county score is 7 points above 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.

McLaughlin School District 15-2

Elementary to high school visible

442 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

Smee School District 15-3

Elementary to high school visible

188 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

McIntosh School District 15-1

Elementary to high school visible

135 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

McIntosh School District 15-1 is the largest listed district slice, with 3 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 Corson County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Corson 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?

Data Story

Corson County graduation rate significantly trails state and national norms

Education data brief for Corson County, South Dakota.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Graduation rate

The graduation rate in Corson County is 67.6%, which is approximately 15 points lower than the South Dakota state average of 82.4% and nearly 20 points lower than the national benchmark of 87.0%. Despite this, per-pupil expenditure in the county is $10,486, which is higher than the state average of $7,409 but lower than the national average of $13,000. The county's composite school score of 45.3 is higher than the state average of 38.3. Education is provided by three school districts: McIntosh 15-1, McLaughlin 15-2, and Smee 15-3. McLaughlin School District 15-2 is the largest, serving 442 of the county's 765 total students. All nine public schools in the county are classified as rural, with McLaughlin Elementary being the largest school by enrollment (203 students). For further research, see the NCES Common Core of Data for district-specific records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Corson County

Reported Enrollment

765

9 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle3

High3

Other0

3 School Districts in Corson County

McLaughlin School District 15-2

3 schools

442 students

Smee School District 15-3

3 schools

188 students

McIntosh School District 15-1

3 schools

135 students

9 Public Schools in Corson 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

Sort

Showing 9 of 9 matching schools

Public schools in Corson County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
McLaughlin Elementary - 02	Record	McLaughlin School District 15-2	McLaughlin, 57642Rural: Remote	PK–5	Primary	203
McLaughlin High School - 01	Record	McLaughlin School District 15-2	McLaughlin, 57642Rural: Remote	9–12	High	165
Wakpala Elementary - 02	Record	Smee School District 15-3	Wakpala, 57658Rural: Distant	KG–5	Primary	85
McLaughlin Middle School - 03	Record	McLaughlin School District 15-2	McLaughlin, 57642Rural: Remote	6–8	Middle	74
Wakpala High School - 01	Record	Smee School District 15-3	Wakpala, 57658Rural: Distant	9–12	High	66
McIntosh Elementary - 02	Record	McIntosh School District 15-1	McIntosh, 57641Rural: Remote	PK–4	Primary	52
McIntosh High School - 01	Record	McIntosh School District 15-1	McIntosh, 57641Rural: Remote	9–12	High	46
McIntosh Middle School - 03	Record	McIntosh School District 15-1	McIntosh, 57641Rural: Remote	5–8	Middle	37
Wakpala Middle School - 04	Record	Smee School District 15-3	Wakpala, 57658Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	37

McLaughlin Elementary - 02

McLaughlin School District 15-2

McLaughlin, 57642 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary203 students

McLaughlin High School - 01

McLaughlin School District 15-2

McLaughlin, 57642 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High165 students

Wakpala Elementary - 02

Smee School District 15-3

Wakpala, 57658 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary85 students

McLaughlin Middle School - 03

McLaughlin School District 15-2

McLaughlin, 57642 / Rural: Remote

Record6–8Middle74 students

Wakpala High School - 01

Smee School District 15-3

Wakpala, 57658 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High66 students

McIntosh Elementary - 02

McIntosh School District 15-1

McIntosh, 57641 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–4Primary52 students

McIntosh High School - 01

McIntosh School District 15-1

McIntosh, 57641 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High46 students

McIntosh Middle School - 03

McIntosh School District 15-1

McIntosh, 57641 / Rural: Remote

Record5–8Middle37 students

Wakpala Middle School - 04

Smee School District 15-3

Wakpala, 57658 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle37 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$10,486

State avg $7,409

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Corson 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 Corson County?

Corson County has a school score of 45/100, which is a midrange 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 Corson County?

The high school graduation rate in Corson County is 67.6%, 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 Corson County spend per student?

Corson County spends $10,486 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.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Davison County

South Dakota

+0 pts

45/100

School score

Campbell County

South Dakota

+1 pts

46/100

School score

Charles Mix County

South Dakota

-1 pts

45/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 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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