Quick! Someone send out a search party for summer because, for all intents and purposes, it's over.

Obviously, Mother Nature hasn't received the memo yet, given it's like 100+ degrees out this week, but trust me, it's over. I say this because today is the first day of school for students in the Sioux Falls Public Schools.

I know a number of other area schools have already been open for several days now. And hopefully, the air conditioning units inside those schools and the ones inside Sioux Falls Public Schools are in tip-top shape, because if there was ever a year when you need a fully functional air conditioner, it's this one, thanks to the "heat dome" that is still hanging over the Sioux Empire for a few more days.

Get our free mobile app

To this day I still vividly remember the start of the school year when I was attending classes inside the original Washington High School, now known as the Washington Pavilion downtown. Back in those days, there wasn't central air in the building. Some rooms had window air conditioners, some did not. Regardless, this time of year, if you were a student at Washington back in the old days, you were making your own gravy sitting in those packed classrooms from late August through mid-September.

When I was going to high school back in the late 70s and early 80s, Sioux Falls Washington was one, if not the largest school in South Dakota when it came to student enrollment.

Now that the school bells are starting to ring once again here in Sioux Falls, it got me wondering where student enrollment stands today here in the Sioux Empire, so I decided to do a little investigating.

According to the website Niche.com, here are the Top 5 most jammed-packed schools in districts in and around the Sioux Falls area.

#5 Harrisburg High School (Current enrollment of 1,478 students)

Harrisburg High School has a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. According to the most recent state test scores, 33% of students are at least proficient in math and 60% in reading.

#4 Jefferson High School (Current enrollment of 1,505 students)

Jefferson is the newest Sioux Falls High School, joining the district in 2021. It has a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1. At this time, state test score data for Jefferson is not yet available.

#3 Roosevelt High School (Current enrollment of 1,803 students)

Built in 1991, Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School has a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1.  According to the most recent state test scores, 40% of students are at least proficient in math and 60% in reading.

#2 Washington High School (Current enrollment of 1,873 students)

Sioux Falls Washington High School has been around since 1908, however, the new Washington High School opened in the fall of 2021. It currently is one of the most diverse and highly rated schools in the upper Midwest. Washington High has a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to the most recent state test scores, 33% of students at Washington are at least proficient in math and 57% in reading.

#1 Lincoln High School (Current enrollment of 1,898 students)

Sioux Falls Lincoln High School holds the crown for the highest student enrollment here in the Sioux Empire. While the hallways might be crowded, and the parking lot packed, the environment of Sioux Falls Lincoln is very welcoming. It has a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1, and according to the most recent state test scores, 48% of students are at least proficient in math and 71% in reading.

Source: Niche.com