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# Fact brief: Are South Dakota public schools among the lowest-funded in the nation?
- URL: https://www.sdnewswatch.org/gigafact-fact-brief-south-dakota-education-funding/
- Published: 2025-08-21T11:00:46.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-21T11:00:46.000Z
- Description: A fact brief that refutes or confirms a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context.
- Author: Michael Klinski
- Tags: Fact briefs

## Yes.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cb/ab/cbabab5e-2dc6-462c-94a0-b72956c0d224/content/images/2025/01/WhiteFACT-BRIEF--500-x-200-px--2-1-1.png)

South Dakota spends the seventh-lowest amount per student nationally in the public school system as of 2023.

The state spends $12,005 per student, about $2,000 more than the lowest state on the list: Idaho ($10,247), which is followed by Utah ($10,333) and Oklahoma ($11,155). 

The data is collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and includes a per-student breakdown of salaries and wages, employee benefits, student support, instructional staff support, general administration and school administration. 

The top states for per-student funding are New York ($30,012) and Vermont ($26,345).

Regionally, Minnesota spends $16,117 per student, Iowa, $13,792 and Nebraska, $15,200\. 

In early 2025, the South Dakota Legislature approved an increase of education funding of 1.25%, much lower than average. 

Budgets were strained even further when the federal government cut $25.8 million from the state’s education funding this summer. 

*This fact brief responds to conversations such as* [*this one.*](https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthDakota/comments/1j9m6un/how%5Fwill%5Fsouth%5Fdakota%5Fbe%5Fimpacted%5Fif%5Fthe/?ref=sdnewswatch.org)

### Sources

U.S. Census Data Bureau, [2023 per-student funding (Tab 8)](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zgfbKGiHujUkM2msYS5M5WrgSnmP6-Vh/edit?usp=drive%5Flink&ouid=103987753564616879512&rtpof=true&sd=true&ref=sdnewswatch.org)

KELO-TV, [S.D. educators react to 1.25% education funding increase](https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/s-d-educators-react-to-1-25-education-funding-increase/?ref=sdnewswatch.org)

South Dakota Searchlight, [Schools left ‘scrambling’ after feds withhold $25.8 million in funding ](https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/07/16/south-dakota-schools-left-scrambling-after-feds-withhold-25-8-million-in-funding/?ref=sdnewswatch.org)

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*This story was produced by *South Dakota News Watch*, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at* [*sdnewswatch.org*](http://sdnewswatch.org/?ref=sdnewswatch.org) *and* [*sign up for an email*](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/email/) *to get stories when they're published. *Contact Michael Klinski* at michael.klinski@sdnewswatch.org.*