B+

West Central School District 49-7

Public school districtGrades K–12Regional · 9 towns

Serves Hartford, Wall Lake Township, Wayne Township, Humboldt, Hartford Township, Wellington Township, Grand Meadow Township, Humboldt Township and Clear Lake Township, and parts of Benton Township, Spring Valley Township and Greenland Township.

Students

1,418

Schools

Spent per student

$11,165

SD $13,040

Students per teacher

15:1

Free or reduced lunch

13%

Debt

$16.3M

fiscal 2024

The gist

What stands out about West Central School District 49-7

School Grade B+: better than 67% of South Dakota districts
Graduation rate (4-year) 8 pts above the state
Spends 14% less per student than the SD average
15 students per teacher
Debt of $16.3M, about $11,492 per student

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Groton.

PK–5Groton Area Elementary - 02Groton Area School District 06-6

6–8Groton Area Middle School - 04Groton Area School District 06-6

9–12Groton Area High School - 01Groton Area School District 06-6

Test scores vs. SD

2020–21

Math proficiency46%

State average 42.2%

Graduation rate (4-year)92%

State average 84.5%

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024

$11,165 per student · 14% below SD

Spending

Classroom instruction 53%Support & administration 39%Other 7%

Paid for by

Local (mostly property tax) 55%State 38%Federal 6%

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

Enrollment over time

1,372’20

1,416’21

1,413’22

1,409’23

1,418’24

Up 3.4% since 2020.

Students

White 90%Two or more races 3%American Indian/Alaska Native 3%Hispanic 3%Black 1%Asian <1%

Schools in the district

6 public schools.

West Central Hartford Elementary - 05

Elementary · Grades K–3 · Hartford

368 students15:1

West Central Humboldt Elementary - 02

Elementary · Grades K–5 · Humboldt

B+

310 students15:1

West Central Middle School - 04

Middle · Grades 6–8 · Hartford

C+

297 students15:1

West Central High School - 01

High · Grades 9–12 · Hartford

408 students17:1

Falls Academy - 08

High · Grades 5–12 · Sioux Falls

D−

29 students58:1

Brighten Transition Youth Treatment Center - 07

High · Grades 8–12 · Sioux Falls

6 students2:1

Towns served

Hartford 3,478Wall Lake Township 1,130Wayne Township 936Humboldt 732Hartford Township 569Wellington Township 555Grand Meadow Township 393Humboldt Township 348Clear Lake Township 178

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Tri-Valley School District 49-6Buffalo Township, Crooks, Lyons Township

$12,899per student

Sioux Falls School District 49-5Mapleton Township, Sioux Falls

$12,316per student

Canistota School District 43-1Canistota Township, Grant Township

$14,202per student

Montrose School District 43-2Montrose Township

$14,166per 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.