B+

Lake Preston School District 38-3

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 8 towns

Serves Lake Preston, Hartland Township, Badger Township, Baker Township, Denver Township, Erwin, Whitewood Township and Hetland, and parts of De Smet Township, Spirit Lake Township and Spring Lake Township.

Students

170

Schools

Spent per student

$18,122

SD $13,040

Students per teacher

8:1

Free or reduced lunch

35%

The gist

What stands out about Lake Preston School District 38-3

School Grade B+: better than 71% of South Dakota districts
Math proficiency 10 pts above the state
Graduation rate (4-year) 6 pts above the state
Spends 39% more per student than the SD average
8 students per teacher
Enrollment down 8.1% since 2020

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Dante.

K–4Wagner Elementary - 02Wagner School District 11-4

5–8Wagner Middle School - 03Wagner School District 11-4

9–12Wagner High School - 01Wagner School District 11-4

Test scores vs. SD

2020–21

Math proficiency52%

State average 42.2%

Graduation rate (4-year)90%

State average 84.5% · small group: the state reports 80–100%

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024

$18,122 per student · 39% above SD

Spending

Classroom instruction 54%Support & administration 42%Other 4%

Paid for by

Local (mostly property tax) 68%State 24%Federal 8%

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time

185’20

184’21

187’22

188’23

170’24

Down 8.1% since 2020.

Students

White 92%Two or more races 5%Hispanic 2%American Indian/Alaska Native 1%

Schools in the district

3 public schools.

Lake Preston Elementary - 02

Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Lake Preston

96 students9:1

Lake Preston Middle School - 03

Middle · Grades 6–8 · Lake Preston

B−

33 students8:1

Lake Preston High School - 01

High · Grades 9–12 · Lake Preston

A−

41 students6:1

Towns served

Lake Preston 596Hartland Township 284Badger Township 227Baker Township 172Denver Township 147Erwin 105Whitewood Township 96 Hetland 10

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

De Smet School District 38-2Le Sueur Township, Manchester Township, Mathews Township

$13,958per student

Arlington School District 38-1Arlington, Bangor Township, Lake Sinai Township

$14,017per student

Oldham-Ramona-Rutland 39-6 school districtBadus Township, Belleview Township, Oldham

$15,219per student

Iroquois School District 02-3Le Sueur Township, Manchester Township

$15,649per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES directory and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Neighbor ratings are opinions.