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Sioux Falls

Fewer students have Sioux Falls schools bracing for $1.5M budget hit

District sees uptick in English learners, special needs demands despite enrollment dip

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Todd Epp
Oct 28, 2025
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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misidentified Sioux Falls School District Data Services Director Doug Morrison. The Dakota Scout strives for accuracy and fairness and regrets the error. Please alert The Scout of mistakes — factually and grammatically — by emailing Editor@TheDakotaScout.com.

School Bus at Laura Wilder.jpeg
Students get off the bus at Laura Wilder Elementary in this undated photo from the Sioux Falls School District. (Photo courtesy of Sioux Falls School District)

A drop in enrollment and a rise in higher-cost student needs are squeezing the Sioux Falls School District, leaving South Dakota’s largest public education system with less state funding and greater expenses tied to special education and English learners.

School Board members spent more than an hour Monday night reviewing new demographic and student counts that underscored both the district’s growing diversity and a small but costly decline in student numbers.

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