South Dakota

As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

Published

5 months ago

January 7, 2026

As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

South Dakota’s K-12 population dropped slightly this year, along with public and private school enrollment, but enrollment in alternative instruction grew once again.

That’s according to headcount numbers taken Sept. 26, 2025, and released by the South Dakota Department of Education by Dec. 31.

All totaled, there are 163,053 K-12 students across the state, with 83% of those students attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 8% in alternative instruction.

There are 934 fewer K-12 students across the state than last year’s count of 163,987, a 0.5% decrease.

Public school enrollment decreased by 1,736 students statewide. Across 147 public school districts, there were 135,577 K-12 students this fall, down from 137,313 in last year’s fall count, a decrease of slightly more than 1%.

Private school enrollment decreased by 142 students statewide, totaling 15,043 students in nonpublic schools accredited by the SDDOE across the state, down from last year’s count of 15,185, a decrease of 1%.

Nonpublic school enrollment includes 9,462 students in private schools, 5,072 in tribal/BIE schools, 268 in special population schools, 175 in coop/multi-districts, 26 in community-based service providers, 21 in the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and 19 in alternative schools.

Alternative instruction enrollment increased by 944 students statewide, totaling 12,433 students in alternative instruction or homeschooling this fall, up from 11,489 in last year’s count, an increase of 8%.

In the Sioux Falls metro area, there are 52,325 K-12 students, with 85% attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 6% in alternative instruction.

Sioux Falls area public schools

The state’s largest public school district, the Sioux Falls School District, shrunk by 171 students this fall, down from last year’s count of 24,221 K-12 students to this year’s count of 24,050.

Sioux Falls’ neighboring public K-12 school districts saw the following enrollment changes this year:

Harrisburg, the state’s third-largest district, grew by 173 students, from 6,182 last year to 6,355 this year.
Brandon Valley, the state’s fourth-largest district, grew by 82 students, from 5,073 last year to 5,155 this year.
Tea Area grew by five students, from 2,509 last year to 2,514 this year.
West Central shrunk by 32 students, from 1,418 last year to 1,386 this year.
Lennox grew by 14 students, from 1,119 last year to 1,133 this year.
Tri-Valley grew by 41 students, from 952 last year to 993 this year.
Dell Rapids shrunk by 32 students, from 965 last year to 933 this year.
Canton shrunk by 23 students, from 888 last year to 865 this year.
Baltic grew by three students, from 539 last year to 542 this year.
Garretson shrunk by 10 students, from 468 last year to 458 this year.

All totaled, there are 44,384 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area public schools, a growth of 50 students or 0.1% from last fall’s count of 44,334.

Sioux Falls area private schools

Sioux Falls’ three largest private K-12 school systems saw the following enrollment changes this year:

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, the largest private school system in the state, shrunk by two students, from 2,224 last year to 2,222 this year.
Sioux Falls Christian School shrunk by nine students, from 1,447 last year to 1,438 this year.
Sioux Falls Lutheran School grew by 41 students, from 336 last year to 377 this year.

Other local nonpublic K-12 school enrollments include:

221 students at St. Mary’s School in Dell Rapids;
130 students at Children’s Home Society of South Dakota;
125 at East Dakota Educational Cooperative;
119 at LifeScape;
49 at McCrossan Boys Ranch;
45 at Good Shepherd Lutheran School,
43 at Westside Christian School,
23 at Bethel Lutheran School;
Four at Southeastern;
Three at Baan Dek Montessori;
One at 605 Prep;
One at DakotAbilities.

All totaled, there are 4,801 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area nonpublic schools, a growth of 24 students or 0.5% from last fall’s count of 4,777.

Sioux Falls area alternative instruction

Though it’s the second-largest public school district in the state, Rapid City Area Schools saw the largest number of students opt out of public school and into alternative instruction and homeschooling once again this year, with 1,839 students, followed by the largest district, Sioux Falls, with 1,793 students.

Sioux Falls-area schools had the following alternative instruction enrollment shifts this year:

1,793 in Sioux Falls, an increase of 131 from last year’s count of 1,662;
379 in Harrisburg, an increase of 78 from last year’s count of 301;
350 in Brandon Valley, an increase of 67 from last year’s count of 283;
111 in Tea, a decrease of four from last year’s count of 115;
105 in Lennox, an increase of two from last year’s count of 103;
97 in West Central, an increase of six from last year’s count of 91;
87 in Dell Rapids, an increase of 11 from last year’s count of 76;
79 in Canton, a decrease of two from last year’s count of 81;
73 in Tri-Valley, an increase of seven from last year’s count of 66;
42 in Garretson, an increase of 10 from last year’s count of 32;
24 in Baltic, a decrease of one from last year’s count of 25.

All totaled, there are 3,140 students in alternative instruction in the Sioux Falls metro area, an increase of 305 students or 10.7% from last year’s count of 2,835.

Source link

Click to comment

South Dakota

Road Trips Bring New Eyes to South Dakota

Published

9 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Road Trips Bring New Eyes to South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Bruno Calfa and his wife loaded their two dogs into an RV for a cross-country journey that started from Vancouver, Canada, and included a stop at Falls Park.

“We were passing by, and we were just like Googling what the things we must see when we are around and then we heard about the falls, and we just came to check it out,” Calfa said.

Calfa was impressed by the Sioux Falls scenery. But navigating a visit to Mount Rushmore was more challenging.

“We missed the four heads of the presidents. I should have turned left, I turned right, and got stuck in between bison for about 20-minutes. So they’re just liking the RV, checking the tires. It was interesting with two pups in the car,” Calfa said.

Seeing the country during a milestone anniversary is a family tradition for many visitors to South Dakota.

“When it was the 200th anniversary, I remember that one when we were kids. We’ve always taken road trips with our family, so that’s what we like to do, we like to drive,” Sasha Wilmes of St. Louis said.

Walking is good, too. We found these couples checking out the sites in downtown Sioux Falls.

“Yesterday, we did the southern part of the Phillips Avenue SculptureWalk, and that was great. Really nice shops. We both grew up in central Illinois, and it reminds me a lot of some of the towns in central Illinois,” Dave Massanari of Shapleigh, ME, said.

These first-time visitors shared their first impressions of South Dakota.

“It’s pretty flat, so far, on this end of South Dakota. It’s the old sea bottom, right,” Bruce Bagley of Overland Park, KS said.

The people we spoke with say there’s something about seeing America, and South Dakota in particular, from behind the wheel of a car, that you just don’t get flying in a plane from airport to airport.

“It’s a better view than from 30,000 feet. It’s much more interesting, you see different types of buildings and architecture and geography, much better than you would from the air,” Bagley said.

“You can just experience the landscape. You can stop when you want to if you see something interesting, you can get out,” Corinna Warren of Omaha, NE said.

The Great American Road Trip promotion is expected to draw more visitors to South Dakota during the crucial summer tourism season.

“Fingers are crossed that we’re going to have a better year than we did last year. Last year was a little flat. So we’re really hoping that our numbers are going to go up,” Experience Sioux Falls CEO Teri Schmidt said.

Visitors to the state say they haven’t been sidetracked by high gas prices or inflation.

“We kind of had that planned ahead of time, and we are going, so we have a Vrbo, we have a home base, and then we’re going to go out to different places from there. So that’s kind of how we’re going to do it. So we travel pretty economically anyway, so it’s fine,” Wilmes said.

“Some people have said we’re going to travel anyway, regardless of gas prices. Others have said we’re going to go on a 5-day trip, not a 10-day trip. And if they go on those shorter trips, Sioux Falls is perfect for that,” Schmidt said.

That’s why visitors from as far away as Canada are willing to go the extra mile and then some to come here.

“Most of the time, you hear about the East and the West, California, New York, or Florida. But you don’t really get to know the middle of the country. But there are so many beautiful places,” Calfa said.

And travelers say there’s no better time to soak in all that scenery than during America’s 250th anniversary.

“We grew up in the East, where it all began, where the Revolution was taking place, and there are historical markers everywhere,” said Anne Bagley of Overland Park, KS.

The nation’s past provides a roadmap to the present and future whenever people pull off and explore the vistas along their journey.

Source link

South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for June 17, 2026

Published

19 hours ago

June 17, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 17, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from June 17 drawing

03-26-49-53-61, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from June 17 drawing

11-16-18-33-51, Star Ball: 09, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from June 17 drawing

08-11-12-25-26

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 17 drawing

02-04-07-16-21, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

South Dakota

South Dakota Sheriff sworn in as President of National Sheriff’s Association

Published

1 day ago

June 17, 2026

Press Room

South Dakota Sheriff sworn in as President of National Sheriff’s Association

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A Moody County Sheriff was recently sworn in as President of the National Sheriffs’ Association for the 2026-2027 term.

Sheriff Troy Wellman will become the leader of the U.S.’s largest organization that represents sheriffs and sheriff’s offices from across the country.

“Coming from a small rural county, you learn quickly that relationships matter,” said Wellman. “Sheriffs across this country face many of the same challenges regardless of agency size, and I want to ensure every sheriff’s office has a seat at the table and a voice in the future of our profession.”

Wellman previously served on the NSA Executive Committee and served as President of the South Dakota Sheriffs’ Association.

As President, Wellman will spend the next year working alongside sheriffs and public safety leaders from across the country.

Source link