South Dakota

South Dakota had a 2010 population of 814,180, with slightly more rural than urban residents. The state's educational system developed from the historic scattered rural one-room common schoolhouses to a complex system of modern public and private education. The South Dakota Department of Education and the South Dakota Board of Education provide educational administration and oversight to ensure compliance with federal and state mandates. The state mandates core content and assessment standards, including the statewide standardized test known as the South Dakota State Test of Educational Progress (STEP).

The territory that became South Dakota was acquired by the United States as part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. It was organized as part of the Dakota Territory in 1861 and was admitted to statehood along with North ...