schoolsbycounty

Douglas County Schools & Education

Douglas County, South Dakota

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

School Score

30/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

84.2%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

84.2%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 82.4%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,012

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,409

School Score

30/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 38/100

State Score Position

#44

of 65 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Douglas County

Measured School Summary

Douglas County faces educational challenges with a school score of 30/100 and a graduation rate of 84.2%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $7,012 per pupil, Douglas County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 21% below the South Dakota average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 1.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 5% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Douglas 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

6 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

30/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #44 of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data.

Completion

84.2%

1.8 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,012

$397 below the state average

School coverage

6

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

Douglas County has 6 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.

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Parent decision brief

What Douglas 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.

Small-system county

Douglas County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.

State position

#44

of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data. The county score is 8 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.

Armour School District 21-1

Elementary to high school visible

219 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

Corsica-Stickney 21-3

Middle and high visible

106 students

Elementary 0Middle 1High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Armour School District 21-1 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 Douglas County?

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

Rural School Distribution Defines Douglas County District Structure

Education data brief for Douglas County, South Dakota.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor
Lead metric:District structure

All six public schools in Douglas County are classified as rural, with an average school size of only 55 students. The county’s total enrollment of 329 students is divided between two districts: Armour School District 21-1 and Corsica-Stickney 21-3. The largest individual facility is Armour Elementary, which enrolls 123 students. Douglas County reports a composite school score of 30.2, which is lower than both the South Dakota state average of 38.3 and the national median of 50.0. The graduation rate is 84.2%, exceeding the state average of 82.4% but trailing the national average of 87.0%. Spending is recorded at $7,012 per pupil, slightly under the state average of $7,409 and well below the $13,000 national benchmark. No charter schools are present in the county. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.

Sources

School Overview

Total Schools

6

in Douglas County

Reported Enrollment

329

6 schools reporting

School Districts

2

districts

Charter Schools

0

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary2
Middle2
High2
Other0

2 School Districts in Douglas County

Corsica-Stickney 21-3

3 schools
276 students

Armour School District 21-1

3 schools
219 students

6 Public Schools in Douglas 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

Level

Showing 6 of 6 matching schools

Armour Elementary - 02

Armour School District 21-1

Armour, 57313 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary123 students

Corsica-Stickney High School - 01

Corsica-Stickney 21-3

Corsica, 57328 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High64 students

Armour Middle School - 03

Armour School District 21-1

Armour, 57313 / Rural: Remote

Record6–8Middle49 students

Armour High School - 01

Armour School District 21-1

Armour, 57313 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High47 students

Corsica-Stickney Jr. High - 03

Corsica-Stickney 21-3

Corsica, 57328 / Rural: Remote

Record7–8Middle42 students

Greenwood Colony Elementary - 05

Tripp-Delmont School District 33-5

Tripp, 57376 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary4 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,012

State avg $7,409

Compare Nearby Counties

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

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Browse Public Schools

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

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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 Douglas County?
Douglas County has a school score of 30/100, 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 Douglas County?
The high school graduation rate in Douglas County is 84.2%, 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 Douglas County spend per student?
Douglas County spends $7,012 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

Lawrence County

South Dakota

+0 pts

30/100

School score

Sanborn County

South Dakota

-0 pts

30/100

School score

Haakon County

South Dakota

-1 pts

29/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed 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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