Willow Lake School District 12-3

400 Garfield Ave
Willow Lake, SD 57278
(District boundaries shown in map)
3/
10
Bottom 50%
For the 2026 school year, there is 1 public preschool serving 150 students in Willow Lake School District 12-3. This district's average pre testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public pre schools in South Dakota.
Public Preschool in Willow Lake School District 12-3 have an average math proficiency score of 47% (versus the South Dakota public pre school average of 44%), and reading proficiency score of 45% (versus the 45% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 5% of the student body (majority Hispanic), 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
6 Schools
145 Schools
# Students
338 Students
30,673 Students
# Teachers
27 Teachers
2,364 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
13:1
13:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Willow Lake School District 12-3, which is ranked within the bottom 50% 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)
#105 out of 148 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
41%
42%
40-44%
51%
20-24%
42%
(21-22)
≥80%
82%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.09
0.54
% American Indian
1%
13%
% Asian
n/a
1%
% Hispanic
2%
9%
% Black
1%
5%
% White
96%
66%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
n/a
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $11,497 in this school district is less 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 $10,657 is less than the state median of $12,647. The school district spending/student has declined by 8% over four school years.
This School District
This State (SD)
Total Revenue
$4 MM
$1,916 MM
Spending
$4 MM
$1,844 MM
Revenue / Student
$11,497
$13,146
Spending / Student
$10,657
$12,647

Best Willow Lake School District 12-3 Public Preschools (2026)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Willow Lake Elementary - 02
(Math: 45-49% | Reading: 40-49%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
400 Garfield Ave
Willow Lake, SD 57278
(605) 625-5945
Gr: PK-5 | 150 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 5%

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Quick Facts (2026)

  • District size: 6 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 338 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 13:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 4%
  • : ≥80% (Top 50% in SD)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 41% (Btm 50%)
  • : 40-44% (Btm 50%)
  • : 20-24% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), SD Dept. of Education

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