schoolsbycounty

Harding County Schools & Education

Harding County, South Dakota

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

School Score

66/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

90.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

90.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 82.4%

Per-Pupil Spending

$9,361

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,409

School Score

66/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 38/100

State Score Position

#6

of 65 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Harding County

Measured School Summary

Harding County performs at an average level with a school score of 66/100 and a solid graduation rate of 90.0%.

Funding Context

Harding County spends $9,361 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 74% above the South Dakota average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 7.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 26% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Harding 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

5 public schools and 1 district 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

66/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #6 of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data.

Completion

90.0%

7.6 pts above the state average

Funding context

$9,361

$1,952 above the state average

School coverage

5

1 district 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

Harding County has 5 public schools across 1 district, 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 Harding 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

Harding 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

#6

of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data. The county score is 28 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.

Harding County School District 31-1

Elementary to high school visible

224 students

Elementary 3Middle 1High 1Other 0

5 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Harding County School District 31-1 is the largest listed district slice, with 5 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 Harding County?

Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?

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

Harding County Maintains High Composite School Scores and Small Classes

Education data brief for Harding County, South Dakota.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor
Lead metric:School score

Harding County features a composite school score of 66.3, well above the state average of 38.3 and national median of 50.0. The county operates five rural schools under the Harding County School District 31-1, which serves 224 total students. Class sizes are notably small, with an average school enrollment of 45 students; the smallest schools, Ludlow and Camp Crook Elementary, each enroll only 8 students. The county’s per-pupil expenditure of $9,361 is higher than the South Dakota average of $7,409 but remains below the national average of $13,000. The graduation rate is 90.0%, exceeding the state mark of 82.4% and the national rate of 87.0%. There are no charter schools in the county. Buffalo Elementary is the largest campus with 92 students. Refer to NCES directory data for a complete list of rural school locations.

Sources

School Overview

Total Schools

5

in Harding County

Reported Enrollment

224

5 schools reporting

School Districts

1

district

Charter Schools

0

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3
Middle1
High1
Other0

1 School District in Harding County

Harding County School District 31-1

5 schools
224 students enrolled

5 Public Schools in Harding 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 5 of 5 matching schools

Buffalo Elementary - 02

Harding County School District 31-1

Buffalo, 57720 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–5Primary92 students

Harding County Middle School - 03

Harding County School District 31-1

Buffalo, 57720 / Rural: Remote

Record6–8Middle60 students

Harding County High School - 01

Harding County School District 31-1

Buffalo, 57720 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High56 students

Camp Crook Elementary - 08

Harding County School District 31-1

Buffalo, 57720 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary8 students

Ludlow Elementary - 06

Harding County School District 31-1

Buffalo, 57720 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary8 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$9,361

State avg $7,409

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Harding 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.

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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 Harding County?
Harding County has a school score of 66/100, 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 Harding County?
The high school graduation rate in Harding County is 90.0%, which is above 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 Harding County spend per student?
Harding County spends $9,361 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

Lyman County

South Dakota

+1 pts

67/100

School score

Dewey County

South Dakota

+2 pts

68/100

School score

Potter County

South Dakota

-2 pts

64/100

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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