South Dakota’s rate of home-schooled students increased 143% from 2015-16 to 2023-24, according to a database compiled by John Hopkins University.

The number of home-schooled students in the state grew from 4,333 to 10,536 during that time.

Of the states that reported data for every year during the range, Tennessee (135%) and North Dakota (114%) had the next highest gains of homeschooled students.

The rapid increase in South Dakota has forced belt-tightening at public schools. Districts receive $7,000 per student from the state, resulting in a collective drop of more than $60 million in funding. The Rapid City School District sent mailers out to households where students had dropped attendance with the goal of getting them back to public school.

The state's home-school numbers could in

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