Lake Preston School District 38-3

300 1st St Ne
Lake Preston, SD 57249
(District boundaries shown in map)
9/
10
Top 20%

Top Rankings

Lake Preston School District 38-3 ranks among the top 20% of public school district in South Dakota for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 20%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 20%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 10%)
Science Proficiency
Highest science proficiency (Top 5%)
Student Attention
Lowest student-teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2025-26 school year, there is 1 public preschool serving 104 students in Lake Preston School District 38-3. This district's average pre testing ranking is 10/10, which is in the top 5% of public pre schools in South Dakota.
Public Preschool in Lake Preston School District 38-3 have an average math proficiency score of 75% (versus the South Dakota public pre school average of 44%), and reading proficiency score of 85% (versus the 45% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 10% of the student body (majority American Indian), which is less than the South Dakota public preschool average of 34% (majority American Indian and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (SD)
# Schools
3 Schools
145 Schools
# Students
188 Students
30,673 Students
# Teachers
22 Teachers
2,364 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
9:1
9:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Lake Preston School District 38-3, which is ranked within the top 20% of all 146 school districts in South Dakota (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 80% has increased from 50% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (SD)
#16 out of 148 school districts
(Top 20%)
55%
42%
65-69%
51%
60-69%
42%
(21-22)
≥80%
82%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.19
0.54
% American Indian
3%
13%
% Asian
n/a
1%
% Hispanic
2%
9%
% Black
n/a
5%
% White
90%
66%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
5%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $19,324 is higher than the state median of $13,146. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $16,457 is higher than the state median of $12,647. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (SD)
Total Revenue
$4 MM
$1,916 MM
Spending
$3 MM
$1,844 MM
Revenue / Student
$19,324
$13,146
Spending / Student
$16,457
$12,647

Best Lake Preston School District 38-3 Public Preschools (2025-26)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Lake Preston Elementary - 02
(Math: 70-79% | Reading: 80-89%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
300 1st St Ne
Lake Preston, SD 57249
(605) 847-4464
Gr: PK-5 | 104 students Student-teacher ratio: 10:1 Minority enrollment: 10%

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Quick Facts (2025-26)

  • District size: 3 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 188 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 9:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 10%
  • : ≥80% (Btm 50% in SD)
  • : Top 20%
  • : 55% (Top 20%)
  • : 65-69% (Top 10%)
  • : 60-69% (Top 5%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), SD Dept. of Education

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