Lake Preston School District 38-3

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

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 10%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 10%)
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 school year, there is 1 public middle school serving 33 students in Lake Preston School District 38-3. This district's average middle testing ranking is 6/10, which is in the top 50% of public middle schools in South Dakota.
Public Middle School in Lake Preston School District 38-3 have an average math proficiency score of 54% (versus the South Dakota public middle school average of 39%), and reading proficiency score of 44% (versus the 49% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 15% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the South Dakota public middle school average of 42% (majority American Indian).

Overview

This School District
This State (SD)
# Schools
3 Schools
297 Schools
# Students
188 Students
40,141 Students
# Teachers
22 Teachers
2,999 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
9:1
9:1

District Rank

Lake Preston School District 38-3, which is ranked within the top 10% of all 146 school districts in South Dakota (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 80% has increased from 50% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (SD)
#9 out of 148 school districts
(Top 10%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Lake Preston School District 38-3, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
60-64%
42%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Lake Preston School District 38-3 and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of South Dakota by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
65-69%
51%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Lake Preston School District 38-3 and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of South Dakota by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
60-69%
42%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Lake Preston School District 38-3 and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of South Dakota by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
≥80%
82%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Lake Preston School District 38-3 and public school graduation rate of South Dakota by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.19
0.59
# American Indian Students
5 Students
10,455 Students
% American Indian Students
3%
26%
# Asian Students
n/a
519 Students
% Asian Students
n/a
1%
# Hispanic Students
4 Students
2,703 Students
% Hispanic Students
2%
7%
# Black Students
n/a
1,024 Students
% Black Students
n/a
3%
# White Students
169 Students
23,358 Students
% White Students
90%
58%
# Hawaiian Students
n/a
46 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
10 Students
2,036 Students
% of Two or more races Students
5%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
15
174
# Students in K Grade:
21
896
# Students in 1st Grade:
8
903
# Students in 2nd Grade:
19
918
# Students in 3rd Grade:
14
750
# Students in 4th Grade:
15
793
# Students in 5th Grade:
12
1,598
# Students in 6th Grade:
13
9,664
# Students in 7th Grade:
12
11,058
# Students in 8th Grade:
8
11,237
# Students in 9th Grade:
12
674
# Students in 10th Grade:
15
578
# Students in 11th Grade:
11
481
# Students in 12th Grade:
13
417
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $19,324 is higher than the state median of $13,121. 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 $12,623. 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
This chart displays total revenue of Lake Preston School District 38-3 and median value from total revenues of all school districts in South Dakota by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$3 MM
$1,844 MM
This chart displays total spending of Lake Preston School District 38-3 and median value from total spendings of all school districts in South Dakota by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$19,324
$13,121
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Lake Preston School District 38-3 and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in South Dakota by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$16,457
$12,623
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Lake Preston School District 38-3 and average spending per public school student of all school districts in South Dakota by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Lake Preston School District 38-3 Public Middle Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Lake Preston Middle School - 03
(Math: 50-59% | Reading: 40-49%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
300 1st St Ne
Lake Preston, SD 57249
(605) 847-4455
Grades: 6-8
| 33 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 3 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 188 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 9:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 10%
  • : ≥80% (Top 30% in SD)
  • : Top 10%
  • : 60-64% (Top 10%)
  • : 65-69% (Top 10%)
  • : 60-69% (Top 5%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), SD Dept. of Education

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