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

No. Use the Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake County?

Start with the 17 listed public schools and 4 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Lake County Schools & Education

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

Lake County, South Dakota

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

School Score

9/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

68.8%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

68.8%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 82.4%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,096

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,409

School Score

9/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 38/100

State Score Position

#65

of 65 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Lake County

Measured School Summary

Lake County faces educational challenges with a school score of 9/100 and a graduation rate of 68.8%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $6,096 per pupil, Lake County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 77% below the South Dakota average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 13.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 18% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Lake 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

17 public schools and 4 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

9/100

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

Completion

68.8%

13.6 pts below the state average

Funding context

$6,096

$1,313 below the state average

School coverage

4 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

Lake County has 17 public schools across 4 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 Lake 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

Lake 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

#65

of 65 South Dakota counties with school score data. The county score is 29 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.

Madison Central School District 39-2

Elementary to high school visible

1,147 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

Chester Area School District 39-1

Elementary to high school visible

576 students

Elementary 3Middle 1High 3Other 0

7 listed schools in this county slice.

Rutland School District 39-4

Elementary to high school visible

189 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

Oldham - Ramona School District 39-5

Elementary to high school visible

122 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Chester Area School District 39-1 is the largest listed district slice, with 7 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 Lake County?

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

Lake County School Score Significantly Trails State and National Norms

Education data brief for Lake County, South Dakota.

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

Lead metric:School score

Lake County reports a composite school score of 8.6, a figure substantially lower than the South Dakota state average of 38.3 and the national median of 50.0. The graduation rate for the county is 68.8%, which is notably lower than the state's 82.4% and the national benchmark of 87.0%. Education is provided via four school districts, with Chester Area School District 39-1 being the largest, managing 576 students across seven schools. Madison Elementary is the largest individual school with 508 students. Financial investment stands at $6,096 per pupil, which is below the state average of $7,409 and less than half of the national average of $13,000. The county features 17 public schools, including one alternative school and no charter schools. Review the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level details.

Sources

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

School Overview

Total Schools

in Lake County

Reported Enrollment

2,034

17 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary7

Middle4

High6

Other0

4 School Districts in Lake County

Madison Central School District 39-2

3 schools

1,147 students

Chester Area School District 39-1

7 schools

576 students

Rutland School District 39-4

4 schools

189 students

Oldham - Ramona School District 39-5

5 schools

157 students

17 Public Schools in Lake 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 17 of 17 matching schools

Public schools in Lake County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Madison Elementary - 07	Record	Madison Central School District 39-2	Madison, 57042Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	508
Madison High School - 01	Record	Madison Central School District 39-2	Madison, 57042Town: Distant	9–12	High	382
Madison Middle School - 02	Record	Madison Central School District 39-2	Madison, 57042Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	257
Chester Elementary -02	Record	Chester Area School District 39-1	Chester, 57016Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	159
Chester Area Cyber School - 92	Record	Chester Area School District 39-1	Chester, 57016Rural: Distant	9–12	High	123
Chester High School - 01	Record	Chester Area School District 39-1	Chester, 57016Rural: Distant	9–12	High	116
Rutland Elementary - 02	Record	Rutland School District 39-4	Rutland, 57057Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	79
Chester Middle School - 03	Record	Chester Area School District 39-1	Chester, 57016Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	75
Oldham-Ramona Elementary - 02	Record	Oldham - Ramona School District 39-5	Ramona, 57054Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	66
High Plains - 06	Record	Chester Area School District 39-1	Chester, 57016Rural: Distant	9–12	Alternative	52
Rutland Jr. High - 03	Record	Rutland School District 39-4	Rutland, 57057Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	48
Oldham-Ramona High School - 01	Record	Oldham - Ramona School District 39-5	Ramona, 57054Rural: Distant	9–12	High	40
Rutland High School - 01	Record	Rutland School District 39-4	Rutland, 57057Rural: Distant	9–12	High	40
Rustic Acres Elementary - 04	Record	Chester Area School District 39-1	Chester, 57016Rural: Distant	KG–8	Primary	36
Camridge Colony School - 04	Record	Rutland School District 39-4	Rutland, 57057Rural: Distant	KG–8	Primary	22
Oldham-Ramona Jr. High - 03	Record	Oldham - Ramona School District 39-5	Ramona, 57054Rural: Distant	7–8	Middle	16
Graceville Colony - 07	Record	Chester Area School District 39-1	Winfred, 57076Rural: Distant	KG–8	Primary	15

Madison Elementary - 07

Madison Central School District 39-2

Madison, 57042 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary508 students

Madison High School - 01

Madison Central School District 39-2

Madison, 57042 / Town: Distant

Record9–12High382 students

Madison Middle School - 02

Madison Central School District 39-2

Madison, 57042 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle257 students

Chester Elementary -02

Chester Area School District 39-1

Chester, 57016 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary159 students

Chester Area Cyber School - 92

Chester Area School District 39-1

Chester, 57016 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High123 students

Chester High School - 01

Chester Area School District 39-1

Chester, 57016 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High116 students

Rutland Elementary - 02

Rutland School District 39-4

Rutland, 57057 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary79 students

Chester Middle School - 03

Chester Area School District 39-1

Chester, 57016 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle75 students

Oldham-Ramona Elementary - 02

Oldham - Ramona School District 39-5

Ramona, 57054 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary66 students

High Plains - 06

Chester Area School District 39-1

Chester, 57016 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12Alternative52 students

Rutland Jr. High - 03

Rutland School District 39-4

Rutland, 57057 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle48 students

Oldham-Ramona High School - 01

Oldham - Ramona School District 39-5

Ramona, 57054 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High40 students

Rutland High School - 01

Rutland School District 39-4

Rutland, 57057 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High40 students

Rustic Acres Elementary - 04

Chester Area School District 39-1

Chester, 57016 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–8Primary36 students

Camridge Colony School - 04

Rutland School District 39-4

Rutland, 57057 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–8Primary22 students

Oldham-Ramona Jr. High - 03

Oldham - Ramona School District 39-5

Ramona, 57054 / Rural: Distant

Record7–8Middle16 students

Graceville Colony - 07

Chester Area School District 39-1

Winfred, 57076 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–8Primary15 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,096

State avg $7,409

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Lake 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 Lake County?

Lake County has a school score of 9/100, 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 Lake County?

The high school graduation rate in Lake County is 68.8%, 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 Lake County spend per student?

Lake County spends $6,096 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

Moody County

South Dakota

+1 pts

9/100

School score

Fall River County

South Dakota

+2 pts

11/100

School score

Clay County

South Dakota

+4 pts

12/100

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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