South Dakota Graduation Rate Hits 88%

The state's public schools posted their highest on-time graduation rate in over 14 years, according to the School Year 2025-26 Report Card.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Secondary Education

Vector editorial illustration of stacked wooden blocks with the top block raised, set on a sage plinth against an open prairie horizon. — South Dakota's public schools posted an 88% on-time four-year graduation rate this year, their highest in more than 14 years, according to the state's School Year 2025-26 Report Card. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The South Dakota Department of Education released its School Year 2025-26 Report Card, showing public-school students graduating within four years at an 88% rate. Regular attendance rose one percentage point, while math proficiency climbed to 45% and English Language Arts proficiency fell to 50%.

Why it matters

The 88% on-time graduation rate is the highest in more than 14 years, signaling progress on a core measure of high school completion across South Dakota's public schools. Mixed results in math and reading proficiency show where academic gains remain uneven statewide.

The Department of Education's Report Card shows the on-time graduation rate at 88%, the highest in over 14 years, and regular attendance up one percentage point. Math proficiency rose to 45% across all students who tested, while ELA proficiency fell to 50%, and the cause of the ELA drop has not been detailed.

The players

South Dakota Department of Education

The state agency that administers public K-12 education in South Dakota and released the School Year 2025-26 Report Card.

The details

The Report Card covers several components of public school academic performance, including graduation, attendance and state assessments. The department reports that it has invested in Career and Technical Education and Jobs for America's Graduates programs, and that Native American students exceeded their peers' on-time graduation rate by 10 percentage points.

Last year: New math standards rooted in explicit instruction were adopted.
Over the next few years: ELA proficiency is expected to improve as the Science of Reading is integrated into curricula.

Season Trajectory

South Dakota's assessment transition to the ACT is expected to keep ELA proficiency fluctuating in the near term. The department anticipates gains as the Science of Reading is integrated into classrooms, and new math standards adopted last year are expected to strengthen numeracy.

Families of South Dakota high school students can see that most public-school students now finish within four years, while ELA scores are the area to watch as the state shifts to the ACT. Schools and families are expected to keep working together to strengthen attendance.

The takeaway

Most South Dakota public-school students now graduate on time, but reading proficiency dipped and is likely to stay volatile during the assessment change. Parents can track their own school's results in the state Report Card as new standards and curricula take effect.