Report: More than 43% of students, almost 5% of staff in Sioux Falls School District are diverse

Racial diversity continues to increase in the Sioux Falls School District, according to a demographic report provided to the school board on Monday night.

Of the district’s 24,380 students this year, more than 43% are diverse, including 15.6% Hispanic, 12.8% Black, 7.6% multiracial, 4.7% Native American, 2.4% Asian and 0.1% Pacific Islander. 56.7% of the district’s students are white and 43.3% are non-white, up from 41.8% last year.

Students in the district also speak a variety of languages, as 3,030 students are English learners who speak 86 different languages among them. The five most commonly-spoken languages in the district besides English are Spanish, Swahili, Nepali, Kunama and Amharic.

More: Nearly 42% of Sioux Falls School District student population is ‘racially diverse’

District community relations supervisor DeeAnn Konrad said the district believes by embracing diversity, Sioux Falls is a richer community and the schools have richer classrooms.

“Students have an opportunity to learn about the world without ever having to travel to other places in the world,” Konrad said. “They learn about those cultures right in their classrooms from their classmates.”

The district has employed 3,569 staff, including 1,927 teachers, 1,257 of whom have a master’s degree or higher degree. More than 1,300 staff are in non-teaching roles, including 503 education assistants, 355 specialists, 210 custodians, 159 clerical staff, 146 child nutrition staff and 94 administrators. Of the district’s staff, 4.99% are considered diverse.

“We’ve really had a focus of trying to become more reflective of our student population, and that will always continue to be a goal,” Konrad said.

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Approximately 50% of elementary school students, 47.3% of middle school students and 41.3% of high school students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, the highest counts have been at the oldest levels in decades and the highest the elementary school count has been since the 2014-2015 school year.

Konrad noted these percentage points are closer together than ever before, and explained the elementary school data is usually the most accurate picture of the community.

The numbers are “showing us what we’re hearing in our community,” Konrad said.

“There are concerns with affordable housing. There are concerns with daycare, and cost of daycare, so some families are choosing to keep a parent at home. Well, now a one-income household… doesn’t bring in as much money, and now qualifies for free and reduced lunch,” Konrad explained. “So, this is a reflection really of what is being discussed on a broader level in our community, and I think it will continue to be a point of conversation.”

Other statistics from the demographic report include:

• 1,032 students ages 3-5 receive preschool services in the district.

• 3,975 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, or 15.8% of the student population, receive special education services, including individualized education plans (IEPs). Konrad said if the special education population were its own district, it would be the sixth-largest in the state.

• 2,690 students are on 504 Plans, or accommodations that help them to become more successful in the classroom and achieve at their highest level, Konrad said.

Where does Sioux Falls School District stand academically?

In addition to a demographic report, the board also heard an academic report with data from the recently-released state report card. Data points from the academic report include:

• The district outpaced the state for the fifth year in a row on on-time graduation rates, and increased 0.7% from the year prior. The district’s graduation rate was 85.35% this year, while the state’s was 84.05%. Meanwhile, the district’s high school completion rate was lower than the state’s, at 88.96% compared to 90.51%.

• Only 56% of the Class of 2023 took the ACT, or 828 students. 48 students took the SAT. Participation trends are decreasing nationwide as more schools have test-optional admission policies. The average ACT composite score among district students was 22.4.

• 63% of students who graduated in June 2022 were college coursework-ready, while 55% were assessment-ready and 51% were college and career-ready.

• On math and English language arts exams given in grades 3-8 and 11, and on science exams given in grades 5, 8 and 11, 48% of students were proficient in ELA, 43% of students were proficient in math, and 45% were proficient in science. Student progress is measured at 52% for ELA, 49% for math and 31% for English learners.

State report card: South Dakota public schools report 21% of students still chronically absent in 2022-23

As she spoke about the district’s scores, Superintendent Jane Stavem reassured board members that “we have never removed our focus on academics,” and spoke about the ways the district uses curriculum and interventions to help students.

She also noted the district considers many factors when looking at this data, including that “we don’t know the ripples and the long-term effects from the pandemic year,” as well as the “mobility factor” of students who move into or out of the district throughout the school year.

“It’s a fine line between cause and effect,” Stavem said.

Other news:

The school board also OK'ed a rejection letter for gymnastics equipment bids. Athletics coordinator Casey Meile had recommended rejecting all bids for the sale of the gymnastics equipment, stating that the district won’t be selling the equipment due to a decision by the U.S. District Court of South Dakota. A document presented to the board shows that American Cheer Elite, DC Ranch, Power & Grace and the Spearfish Academy had bid on the equipment.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls School District presents 2023 demographic, academic reports