The state Department of Education has posted average ACT scores for South Dakota school districts during last school year. We only get data for schools with ten or more takers, to avoid possibly tying actual scores with individual students. Out of the 120 schools with reportable averages, the top ten and bottom ten schools by this metric are the following:
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Brookings is duly crowing about its top-of-the-heapedness. So is Spearfish High School, which posted a full-point jump to a 23.70 ACT average, well above the state's 22.02 average and the highest score it's posted over the last decade. Hmm... what changed at Spearfish High School that could have influenced academic performance? Well, they did hire a new French teacher....
In the Northern Hills metro area, Meade (Sturgis) ranked 67th, Lead-Deadwood ranked 81st, and Belle Fourche ranked 96th.
My alma mater Madison ranks 62nd, with a 21.49 average, just one step above Howard at 21.42. Elsewhere in Madison's open-enrollment competition zone, Montrose tied for 8th, Arlington ranked 28th, Tri-Valley ranked 32nd, Colman-Egan ranked 89th, and Chester ranked 105th. Rutland and Oldham-Ramona each had too few takers to report ACT averages.
Then again, the Wall Street Journal notes that 75% of ACT-takers still aren't fully ready for college. Hmm....
Below is the list of 149 South Dakota school districts with students who took the ACT during the 2011-2012 school year (also available in unpleasant, unmanipulable, unnecessarily bandwidthy PDF format from the state Department of Education):
Dist# | School | ACT avg | takers | rank (out of 120 reported averages) |
99999 | SD Avg/Totals | 22.02 | 6015 | |
6001 | Aberdeen | 22.03 | 196 | 47 |
58003 | Agar-Blunt-Onida | 21.28 | 18 | 72 |
61001 | Alcester-Hudson | 22.55 | 20 | 25 |
11001 | Andes Central | 20.44 | 16 | 98 |
38001 | Arlington | 22.44 | 16 | 28 |
21001 | Armour | * | 8 | |
4001 | Avon | 22.06 | 18 | 44 |
49001 | Baltic | 21.88 | 26 | 51 |
9001 | Belle Fourche | 20.46 | 63 | 96 |
3001 | Bennett County | 20.68 | 25 | 90 |
61002 | Beresford | 22.06 | 31 | 44 |
52001 | Bison | * | 7 | |
4002 | Bon Homme | 21.55 | 31 | 60 |
26005 | Bonesteel-Fairfax | * | 6 | |
22001 | Bowdle | 18.55 | 11 | 116 |
49002 | Brandon Valley | 23.56 | 178 | 10 |
30003 | Bridgewater-Emery | 20.00 | 107 | |
45004 | Britton-Hecla | 20.97 | 35 | 80 |
5001 | Brookings | 24.45 | 134 | 1 |
26002 | Burke | * | 9 | |
43001 | Canistota | 21.75 | 16 | 54 |
41001 | Canton | 20.73 | 37 | 87 |
28001 | Castlewood | 21.29 | 14 | 71 |
60001 | Centerville | 22.54 | 13 | 26 |
7001 | Chamberlain | 20.88 | 40 | 84 |
39001 | Chester | 20.05 | 19 | 105 |
12002 | Clark | 22.39 | 23 | 31 |
50005 | Colman-Egan | 20.69 | 16 | 89 |
59003 | Colome Consolidated | * | 8 | |
21002 | Corsica | 20.60 | 10 | 91 |
16001 | Custer | 20.74 | 35 | 85 |
61008 | Dakota Valley | 22.35 | 52 | 34 |
38002 | De Smet | 20.45 | 22 | 97 |
49003 | Dell Rapids | 22.28 | 60 | 37 |
5006 | Deubrook Area | 22.32 | 19 | 36 |
19004 | Deuel | 21.83 | 29 | 53 |
56002 | Doland | * | 2 | |
51001 | Douglas | 22.38 | 98 | 32 |
64002 | Dupree | 17.35 | 17 | 118 |
20001 | Eagle Butte | 17.19 | 36 | 119 |
23001 | Edgemont | * | 7 | |
22005 | Edmunds Central | 21.38 | 13 | 65 |
61007 | Elk Point-Jefferson | 22.78 | 46 | 21 |
5003 | Elkton | 20.53 | 17 | 94 |
28002 | Estelline | 22.35 | 17 | 34 |
17001 | Ethan | 22.92 | 13 | 18 |
44001 | Eureka | 20.00 | 17 | 107 |
46002 | Faith | 20.91 | 23 | 83 |
24004 | Faulkton Area | 20.42 | 19 | 99 |
50003 | Flandreau | 22.00 | 16 | 48 |
14001 | Florence | 20.55 | 11 | 93 |
6002 | Frederick Area | 20.18 | 11 | 103 |
33001 | Freeman | 22.06 | 17 | 44 |
49004 | Garretson | 20.93 | 27 | 82 |
63001 | Gayville-Volin | 23.09 | 11 | 14 |
53001 | Gettysburg | 23.55 | 11 | 11 |
25003 | Grant-Deuel | * | 6 | |
26004 | Gregory | 21.74 | 27 | 55 |
6006 | Groton Area | 23.98 | 48 | 4 |
27001 | Haakon | 22.24 | 25 | 38 |
28003 | Hamlin | 22.23 | 31 | 39 |
30001 | Hanson | 20.73 | 11 | 87 |
31001 | Harding County | 20.50 | 18 | 95 |
41002 | Harrisburg | 22.40 | 80 | 29 |
14002 | Henry | * | 5 | |
10001 | Herreid | * | 8 | |
34002 | Highmore-Harrold | 21.21 | 14 | 74 |
51002 | Hill City | 21.13 | 23 | 76 |
56006 | Hitchcock-Tulare | 23.00 | 14 | 15 |
23002 | Hot Springs | 21.00 | 33 | 79 |
53002 | Hoven | 21.55 | 11 | 60 |
48003 | Howard | 21.42 | 12 | 63 |
60002 | Hurley | * | 3 | |
2002 | Huron | 20.02 | 110 | 106 |
22006 | Ipswich Public | 23.00 | 20 | 15 |
13003 | Irene-Wakonda | 20.40 | 20 | 101 |
2003 | Iroquois | * | 5 | |
37003 | Jones County | * | 7 | |
35002 | Kadoka Area | 19.94 | 18 | 110 |
7002 | Kimball | 20.60 | 15 | 91 |
38003 | Lake Preston | 23.58 | 19 | 8 |
45005 | Langford Area | 19.88 | 16 | 111 |
40001 | Lead-Deadwood | 20.95 | 44 | 81 |
52004 | Lemmon | 21.12 | 26 | 77 |
41004 | Lennox | 21.61 | 46 | 58 |
44002 | Leola | * | 8 | |
42001 | Lyman | 20.29 | 17 | 102 |
39002 | Madison Central | 21.49 | 63 | 62 |
60003 | Marion | * | 9 | |
43007 | McCook Central | 22.72 | 25 | 22 |
15001 | McIntosh | 19.83 | 12 | 112 |
15002 | McLaughlin | 17.50 | 12 | 117 |
46001 | Meade | 21.37 | 93 | 67 |
33002 | Menno | 21.20 | 10 | 75 |
25004 | Milbank | 21.57 | 63 | 59 |
29004 | Miller | 23.19 | 21 | 13 |
17002 | Mitchell | 22.98 | 126 | 17 |
62006 | Mobridge-Pollock | 19.98 | 48 | 109 |
43002 | Montrose | 23.58 | 12 | 8 |
17003 | Mount Vernon | 19.71 | 14 | 113 |
51003 | New Underwood | * | 8 | |
9002 | Newell | 21.24 | 21 | 73 |
56007 | Northwestern Area | 22.19 | 16 | 42 |
23003 | Oelrichs | * | 7 | |
39005 | Oldham-Ramona | * | 2 | |
60004 | Parker | 21.40 | 20 | 64 |
33003 | Parkston | 21.70 | 37 | 56 |
32002 | Pierre | 23.65 | 134 | 7 |
1001 | Plankinton | 18.56 | 16 | 115 |
11005 | Platte-Geddes | 21.32 | 28 | 69 |
51004 | Rapid City Area | 22.22 | 556 | 40 |
56004 | Redfield | 21.31 | 35 | 70 |
54004 | Rosholt | 24.38 | 16 | 2 |
39004 | Rutland | * | 4 | |
55005 | Sanborn Central | * | 4 | |
4003 | Scotland | 22.40 | 15 | 29 |
62005 | Selby | 22.69 | 13 | 23 |
49005 | Sioux Falls | 22.79 | 1018 | 20 |
5005 | Sioux Valley | 20.41 | 41 | 100 |
54002 | Sisseton | 21.33 | 58 | 68 |
15003 | Smee | * | 8 | |
40002 | Spearfish | 23.70 | 91 | 6 |
57001 | Stanley County | 21.12 | 25 | 77 |
1002 | Stickney | * | 7 | |
54006 | Summit | * | 3 | |
41005 | Tea Area | 21.38 | 40 | 65 |
20003 | Timber Lake | 21.70 | 10 | 56 |
66001 | Todd County | 16.78 | 36 | 120 |
33005 | Tripp-Delmont | * | 7 | |
49006 | Tri-Valley | 22.38 | 39 | 32 |
13001 | Vermillion | 22.86 | 71 | 19 |
60005 | Viborg | 22.12 | 17 | 43 |
11004 | Wagner | 20.74 | 34 | 85 |
51005 | Wall | 24.23 | 13 | 3 |
6005 | Warner | 22.57 | 14 | 24 |
14004 | Watertown | 21.99 | 204 | 49 |
18003 | Waubay | * | 6 | |
14005 | Waverly | 21.88 | 17 | 51 |
18005 | Webster Area | 22.22 | 27 | 40 |
36002 | Wessington Springs | * | 9 | |
49007 | West Central | 23.31 | 72 | 12 |
1003 | White Lake | 23.75 | 12 | 5 |
47001 | White River | * | 8 | |
12003 | Willow Lake | * | 9 | |
54007 | Wilmot | 20.06 | 16 | 104 |
59002 | Winner | 21.94 | 36 | 50 |
2006 | Wolsey-Wessington | 19.53 | 15 | 114 |
55004 | Woonsocket | * | 9 | |
63003 | Yankton | 22.52 | 153 | 27 |
* Averages not reported for schools with fewer than ten test takers |
http://www.lastrealindians.com/axCommentDetails.php?postId=2085#
Cory- huge factor missing here. You need to have a column for "percentage of test takers". There is too much room here for schools to inflate their average by not encouraging the lowest academic performers to take the test. Typically these students are bound for vocational school or the job market and thus are not likely to take the ACT unless encouraged by counselors or other school personnel. I think there is some value to having all high school graduates take the ACT. Yes it is a college placement test but also is a summary test of the high school curriculum. I have information posted about this and previous year's ACT test on my wikipage at this link:
https://rutlandsupt.wikispaces.com/REPORT+CARD
That's a very good point, Carl. Does the DoE update that release with such a column? If not, why not?
This is all very political. The DOE was trying to build a % of test takers factor into their new accountability formula. Under such a plan the schools with a higher percentage of ACT test takers would have been recognized in the new accountability formula for this "handicap". But a coalition of my peers successfully fought this and got it taken out so we are going to use ACT scores for accountability and compare ACT scores between schools with no recognition of the percent of students taking the test. You could easily find out the number of graduates from each high school in 2012. Then divide your "takers" column by the number of total graduates for each school to get your percentage. If we are running a academic foot race here then don't compare average ACT for a school testing 80 % of graduates with a school such as Rutland who had 100 % of our graduates take the test in 2012. What percent of Brookings graduates took the ACT compared to Madison graduates? If we are comparing then let's be sure and compare "apples to apples". Schools testing a higher percentage of their graduates are at a disadvantage and this is not being recognized.
A more comprehensive system for tracking and comparing the performance of SD high schools based on the performance of their graduates has has been implemented for many years now by the SD Board of Regents. This is the "High School Transition Report" that tracks several different academic indicators and the actual performance (college GPA) of high school graduates completing their first year at SD BOR institutions. So you can compare ACT scores, college GPAs and many other interesting things all at once- all info tied back to the high school that the students graduated from. Here is the link:
http://www.sdbor.edu/mediapubs/highschool/index.htm
This is "old news" as famed Pierre Journalist Bob Mercer and the Argus Leader have done stories on this. The data from many years of the BOR High School Transition Report has been largely favorable toward Rutland and small high schools in general as reported by myself and these other (more objective) sources.