South Dakota

South Dakota’s P–12 system serves 149 districts, prioritizing teacher salaries and school choice. Within the state’s 2. 4 billion General Fund, education accounts for approximately 44% of total expenditure. For the 2025 fiscal year, P–12 state aid reached 725. 5 million, a 9. 3 million increase in expansion aid, while total higher education allocations reached 1. 05 billion across all funding sources. Despite significant long-term growth, higher education’s share of the state budget declined for the first time since 2010. These trends reflect conservative tax utilization and alternative school programming.