Best Public Schools in Lake Preston, SD

Summary:

The city of Lake Preston, South Dakota is home to three schools that serve students from elementary through high school: Lake Preston Elementary - 02, Lake Preston High School - 01, and Lake Preston Middle School - 03. These schools, part of the Lake Preston School District 38-3, have shown a mix of strong academic performance and potential areas for improvement.

Among the standout schools, Lake Preston Middle School - 03 is a top performer, ranking 9th out of 246 middle schools in South Dakota and maintaining a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's impressive test scores, with 73.53% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 67.65% in Mathematics, contribute to its strong academic reputation. Similarly, Lake Preston Elementary - 02 has also earned a 5-star rating, ranking 25th out of 300 elementary schools in the state, and excelling in Mathematics with 86.05% of students proficient or better.

While the schools generally outperform state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, they face some challenges, such as relatively high chronic absenteeism rates at 20.2% for both Lake Preston Elementary - 02 and Lake Preston Middle School - 03. Additionally, the schools serve student populations with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, as indicated by the varying free/reduced lunch rates, ranging from 19.61% at Lake Preston High School - 01 to 48.48% at Lake Preston Middle School - 03. Addressing these challenges could help the schools continue to improve and support all learners effectively.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lake Preston Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	300 1st St NE	Lake Preston	57249	Kingsbury County	Lake Preston School District 38-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 847-4464	96	11	9.1	38.5%	89 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.2%)	81.5	25^th of 300 public elementary schools	91.7%		79	29^th of 201 public elementary schools	85.6%	4	43.8	76.9	57.1					58.1	81.3	92.3	85.7					86.1	64.3			$18,707	$1,189	$17,518
Lake Preston High School - 01	Public	9-12	300 1st St NE	Lake Preston	57249	Kingsbury County	Lake Preston School District 38-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 847-4455	41	7	5.5	22.0%	38 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.9%)	81.7	19^th of 166 public high schools	88.6%		53.7	69^th of 141 public high schools	51.1%	50							66.7								66.7				66.7	$25,873	$07	$25,866
Lake Preston Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	300 1st St NE	Lake Preston	57249	Kingsbury County	Lake Preston School District 38-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 847-4455	33	4	8.4	39.4%	29 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)	86.4	9^th of 246 public middle schools	96.3%		89	7^th of 147 public middle schools	95.2%	2				72.7	69.2	80.0		73.5				63.6	61.5	80.0		67.7		70.0		$20,050	$07	$20,044

Cities Near Lake Preston

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
De Smet	9.76 mi	3	66^th
Arlington	11.08 mi	6	117^th
Hayti	20.79 mi	3	30^th
Iroquois	21.03 mi	5	178^th
Volga	21.98 mi	3	21^st

See the top SD South Dakota cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Dakota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.