Best Public Schools in Zip Code 57278

The 57278 zip code area is home to 4 schools in the Willow Lake School District 12-3, including 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. The district as a whole is ranked 131 out of 147 school districts in South Dakota and is rated 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Among the schools, Willow Lake High School - 01 stands out with significant improvements, going from a 1-star rating in 2022-2023 to a 5-star rating in 2023-2024. It has a high 4-year graduation rate of 86.4% and a low dropout rate of 2.6% in 2024-2025. Willow Lake Middle School - 03 has also seen fluctuations in its performance, going from a 2-star rating in 2022-2023 to a 4-star rating in 2023-2024, before dropping back to a 2-star rating in 2024-2025. It has relatively strong test scores, with over 40% proficiency in both English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grades.

However, the performance of the schools in the district is quite mixed, with some schools, such as Willow Lake Elementary - 02, having lower than state average proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grades. Additionally, all schools in the data set have a chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2%, which is significantly higher than the state average. The wide range of free and reduced lunch rates, spending per student, and student-teacher ratios across the schools suggests that there may be significant disparities in resources and funding within the district.