U.S. News & World Report Recognizes Lake Preston
Among the 2026 Best Elementary Schools
Washington, D.C. – December 8, 2025 – Lake Preston Elementary has been ranked No. 5 in South Dakota Elementary Schools among the 2026 Best Elementary School rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
The rankings include about 47,000 public elementary schools and more than 23,000 middle schools across the country. Schools are ranked at the state and district level, with Best Charter Schools ranked as a stand-alone category.
The methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts while accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.
The 2026 Best Elementary rankings are based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. For district-level rankings, at least two of the top performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.
"Recognizing schools that consistently deliver high-quality education, U.S. News’ 2026 Best Elementary rankings showcase institutions that empower students from a variety of backgrounds,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News. “This data-rich resource helps parents choose schools that are truly making a difference in children's academic journeys."
Parents, educators and students can see how the Lake Preston Elementary compares to other institutions and how the rankings are calculated at USNews.com.
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/south-dakota
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/south-dakota/lake-preston-elementary-02-217831