As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

South Dakota’s K-12 population dropped slightly this year, but enrollment in alternative education is up once again.

Watertown schools saw a year-over-year decline from 2024 to 2025. But the Castlewood school system has seen an increase.

This is based on headcount figures received on September 26, 2025 and released by the South Dakota Department of Education on December 31.

In total, there are 163,053 K-12 students statewide; 83% of these students attend public schools, 9% are enrolled in nonpublic schools, and 8% are enrolled in alternative education.

There are 934 fewer K-12 students statewide than last year’s 163,987; this number is a decrease of 0.5%.

Enrollment in public schools decreased by 1,736 students statewide. The 147 public school districts had 135,577 K-12 students this fall, down from 137,313 in last year’s fall count; this number decreased by just over 1%.

2024 autumn census: South Dakota public school enrollment drops by more than 400, DOE report finds

Private school enrollment decreased by 142 students statewide; There were a total of 15,043 students in SDDOE-accredited nonpublic schools statewide; There was a 1% decrease since last year’s number was 15,185.

Nonpublic school records include 9,462 students in private schools, 5,072 students in tribal/BIE schools, 268 students in special population schools, 175 students in cooperative/multiple districts, 26 students in community-based service providers, 21 students in the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and 19 students in alternative schools.

Enrollment in alternative education increased by 944 students statewide, for a total of 12,433 students receiving alternative education or homeschooling; an 8% increase from 11,489 in last year’s count.

There are 52,325 K-12 students in the Sioux Falls metro area; of these, 85% are enrolled in public schools, 9% in nonpublic schools, and 6% in alternative education.

Watertown, Castlewood school enrollment numbers

In 2024, there were 3,535 students enrolled in Watertown public schools. By 2025, enrollment decreased by 169 students to 3,366.

As for private schools in Watertown, enrollment increased by 25 students from 2024 to 2025. In 2024, Watertown had 80 students in private schools. This fall the number increased to 105.

As for Castlewood, the number increased from 337 in 2024 to 350 in 2025. This school district moved the needle up by 13 students.

Public schools in Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls School District, the state’s largest public school district, shrank by 171 students this fall, from last year’s 24,221 K-12 students to 24,050 this year.

Sioux Falls’ neighboring public K-12 school districts saw the following enrollment changes this year:

• In Harrisburg, the state’s third-largest district, the number of students increased by 173, from 6,182 last year to 6,355 this year.

• Brandon Valley, the state’s fourth-largest district, grew by 82 students, from 5,073 students last year to 5,155 this year.

In total, there are 44,384 K-12 students in public schools in the Sioux Falls area; This is an increase of 50 students, or 0.1%, from last fall’s 44,334.

In total, there are 4,801 K-12 students in nonpublic schools in the Sioux Falls area; This is an increase of 24 students, or 0.5%, from last fall’s number of 4,777.

More: Alternative education on the rise as South Dakota Legislature considers school choice bill

In total, there are 3,140 students receiving alternative education in the Sioux Falls metro area; This number increased by 305 students, or 10.7%, compared to last year’s number of 2,835.

Alice Mannette contributed to this article.

This article first appeared in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Why are more South Dakota families choosing homeschooling?