Best Public Schools in Marion, SD

Summary:

The city of Marion, South Dakota is home to 3 schools that serve students from elementary through high school, all part of the Marion School District 60-3. While the district is ranked 91 out of 147 in the state and has a 2-star rating, there are some standout schools worth highlighting.

Marion Elementary - 02 has shown steady improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from 157th out of 204 elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 130th out of 201 in 2023-2024 and 143rd out of 300 in 2024-2025. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally higher than the district and state averages, particularly in 4th grade. Similarly, Marion Middle School - 03 has also seen an improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from 60th out of 150 middle schools in 2022-2023 to 85th out of 246 in 2024-2025. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are mostly on par with or slightly above the district and state averages, and its 8th-grade proficiency rates in Science are particularly strong.

However, Marion High School - 01 lags behind the district and state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency for 11th-grade students. Additionally, both Marion Elementary - 02 and Marion Middle School - 03 have a higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2% for the 2024-2025 school year, which is an area of concern for the district. The district may also need to re-evaluate its resource allocation to ensure equitable funding and support for all students, as the per-student spending varies across the schools.

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
Marion Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-5	100 S Cedar St	Marion	57043	Turner County	Marion School District 60-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 648-3615	100	11	9.4	38.0%	94 (94.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	56.2	143^rd of 300 public elementary schools	52.3%		39.9	130^th of 201 public elementary schools	35.3%	13	41.2	60.0	46.2					48.9	41.2	53.3	38.5					44.4	53.9			$16,013	$657	$15,356
Marion High School - 01	Public	9-12	100 S Cedar St	Marion	57043	Turner County	Marion School District 60-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 648-3615	62	7	8.9	48.4%	51 (82.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (9.7%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.5%)	28.9	135^th of 166 public high schools	18.7%		57.8	62^nd of 141 public high schools	56.0%	73							41.7								25.0				33.3	$16,522	$92	$16,430
Marion Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	100 S Cedar St	Marion	57043	Turner County	Marion School District 60-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 648-3615	46	4	11.7	52.2%	38 (82.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.5%)	62.6	85^th of 246 public middle schools	65.4%		31	109^th of 147 public middle schools	25.9%	24				36.4	50.0	52.6		47.8				18.2	43.8	63.2		45.7		68.4		$14,851	$36	$14,815

Cities Near Marion

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Parker	6.34 mi	3	132^nd
Freeman	10.18 mi	3	79^th
Canistota	12.06 mi	3	61^st
Hurley	12.91 mi	1	76^th
Bridgewater	15.03 mi	2	13^th

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.