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Best Public Schools in Madison, SD

New rankings! South Dakota test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

1,210

Students

Districts

Top rankedMadison Middle School - 0258^th of 151 South Dakota middle schools

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Biggest riser

Madison Middle School - 02 up 20 spots statewide this year

Compare South Dakota cities →See the top-ranked South Dakota schools →

Summary:

Madison, South Dakota, has four schools serving kindergarten through grade 12, with 1,210 students across [Madison Elementary - 07](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/schools/3960001189/school.aspx), [Madison Middle School - 02](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/schools/3960000364/school.aspx), [Madison High School - 01](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/schools/3960000363/school.aspx), and [Rustic Acres Colony Elementary - 04](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/schools/1230001092/school.aspx). Three schools are part of [Madison Central School District 39-2](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/district/39600/search.aspx), while Rustic Acres is in [Chester Area School District 39-1](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/district/12300/search.aspx). The clearest overall finding is that school results vary substantially: the two Madison K–8 schools are above state results in both current comparable subjects, while Rustic Acres is well below, especially in math.

[Madison Middle School - 02](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/schools/3960000364/school.aspx) stands out in English language arts, with 57% proficient compared with 54% at [Madison Elementary - 07](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/schools/3960001189/school.aspx) and 29% at [Rustic Acres Colony Elementary - 04](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SD/schools/1230001092/school.aspx)—a 28-point gap between the highest and lowest results. In math, Madison Elementary leads at 51%, ahead of Madison Middle at 44% and Rustic Acres at 10%; the top-to-bottom gap is 42 points. Madison High’s separate indicators are also encouraging: its graduation rate is 95%, 7 points above the state, and its ACT math and science results are 4 and 5 points above state results, respectively, while its ELA result is 1 point below.

Recent changes are mixed: the average ELA gap between the three comparable schools and the state moved 1 point closer from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while the average math gap widened by 3 points, largely because Rustic Acres’ math result fell 7 points; Madison Middle’s math rose 1 point. SchoolDigger’s 2025–2026 statewide percentiles are 62 for Madison Middle, 56 for Madison High, 55 for Madison Elementary, and 16 for Rustic Acres. Ratios range from 12.2 students per teacher at Madison Middle to 15.6 at Madison Elementary. Free/reduced lunch eligible figures for 2024–2025 are 23% at Middle, 29% at Elementary, and 20% at High; Rustic Acres’ 8% figure is from 2022–2023. One comparison caveat: Rustic Acres serves a different grade span, and Madison High’s current ACT results are not directly comparable with the other schools’ Smarter Balanced results.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SD ACT English Language Arts (2026)	SD ACT Mathematics (2026)	SD ACT Science (2026)	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2026)			Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SD ACT English Language Arts 11th Grade	SD ACT Mathematics 11th Grade	SD ACT Science 11th Grade	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 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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners immunized against measles (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rustic Acres Colony Elementary - 04	Public	K-8	24243 456th Ave	Madison	57016	Lake County	Chester Area School District 39-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 489-2411	41	3	13.6	—	41 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										28.6							9.5				30%	70%	$10,858	$417	$10,441
Madison High School - 01	Public	9-12	800 NE 9th St	Madison	57042	Lake County	Madison Central School District 39-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 256-7706	384	26	14.8	20.1%	322 (83.9%)	2 (0.5%)	41 (10.7%)	3 (0.8%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	54.2	57^th of 130 public high schools	56.2%		66.4	50^th of 166 public high schools	69.9%	7	47.1	37.9	49.4																				$11,493	$343	$11,151
Madison Middle School - 02	Public	6-8	830 NE 9th St	Madison	57042	Lake County	Madison Central School District 39-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 256-7717	270	22	12.2	23.3%	223 (82.6%)	3 (1.1%)	28 (10.4%)	3 (1.1%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.3%)	61.4	58^th of 151 public middle schools	61.6%		64.4	78^th of 246 public middle schools	68.3%	20							52.1	54.4	64.0	57.0				45.8	40.2	47.0	44.4		49.0				$11,507	$300	$11,207
Madison Elementary - 07	Public	K-5	700 NW 9th St	Madison	57042	Lake County	Madison Central School District 39-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 256-7721	515	33	15.6	28.5%	412 (80.0%)	3 (0.6%)	58 (11.3%)	5 (1.0%)	9 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.4%)	55	91^st of 203 public elementary schools	55.2%		66.4	100^th of 300 public elementary schools	66.7%	9				42.7	51.2	64.5				53.8	48.5	48.8	55.6				51.3	43.3			85.9%	4.7%	$10,752	$967	$9,785

Cities Near Madison

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Rutland	9.27 mi	4	170^th
Winfred	10.24 mi	2	114^th
Chester	11.8 mi	4	95^th
Montrose	13.7 mi	4	22^nd
Colman	15.22 mi	3	121^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.