KNOW YOUR STATE
"Under God the People Rule"
South Dakota has a Department of Education, a State Board, and a State Secretary of Education. The State Board consists of 9 members appointed to 4-year terms.
Every state sets its own school choice rules, and South Dakota is no exception. The NWEF School Choice Index scores South Dakota on 17 measures, from open enrollment to education savings accounts, then ranks it against all 50 states. Open any category below to see where South Dakota earns points and where it falls short.
South Dakota scores well on homeschooling and online learning. Its biggest gaps are charter school access and private-school options like ESAs and vouchers.
Scored from state law · as of August 2026
Your state lawmakers wrote the rules behind this score. Most of them have never seen how South Dakota compares to other states.
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