Contents
- School library access statistics: School and student access in South Dakota
- School library access statistics: U.S. public school library presence by type and place
- School library access statistics: U.S. public school access by grade level and enrollment
- Private school library access statistics by school type and size
- school library access: School library use and access in South Dakota
- Sources
School library access statistics: School and student access in South Dakota
South Dakota’s 2023 School Library Survey offers a local view of both school-level library presence and student access. In the 2022–23 survey, 87% of responding districts and systems reported having a school library, while 97% of students were reported to have access to one. These figures describe different groups: the first is a share of districts and systems, and the second a share of students. They should not be read as interchangeable measures or as a count of individual school buildings. Source: South Dakota State Library, 2023 School Libraries Facts & Stats
The survey facts reflect 181 responding districts and systems, an 85% response rate. That response base is important when interpreting the statewide percentages: the reported rates come from survey respondents, and the page identifies the response rate rather than claiming a complete census of every district and system. The access result is nevertheless a useful indicator of the reported reach of school libraries among South Dakota students in that period. Source: South Dakota State Library, 2023 School Libraries Facts & Stats
| South Dakota measure | Reported result | Period and population |
|---|---|---|
| Districts and systems with a school library | 87% | 2022–23 survey respondents |
| Students with access to a school library | 97% | Students represented by survey respondents |
| Collection items added per student | 1.3 items | 2022–23 |
The 1.3 collection items added per student in 2022–23 adds a resource-development measure alongside access. It represents additions to collections per student, not the total size of a library collection, the number of titles available to each student, or a measure of borrowing. Together, the indicators speak to presence, reported student reach, and new collection material while keeping their distinct meanings clear. Source: South Dakota State Library, 2023 School Libraries Facts & Stats
School library access statistics: U.S. public school library presence by type and place
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) figures measure the share of schools with a library media center, a related but specific measure of school presence. NCES defines a library media center as an organized collection of printed, audiovisual, or computer resources administered as a unit in designated places and making resources and services available to students, teachers, and administrators. Its 2020–21 figures are weighted estimates for U.S. public schools; they are not student-level access rates. Source: NCES Fast Facts, What information do you have on public school libraries?
| U.S. public school characteristic | With a library media center, 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| All public schools | 87.6% |
| Traditional public schools | 91.3% |
| Public charter schools | 52.3% |
The overall estimate was 87.6% of public schools. The type-specific results show a different reported presence rate for traditional public schools and public charter schools: 91.3% and 52.3%, respectively. These are estimates of the proportion within each category, not counts of schools and not evidence about why the rates differ. They should be understood as a snapshot for the 2020–21 school year. Source: NCES Fast Facts, What information do you have on public school libraries?
NCES also reports presence by community type. The estimate was 83.0% for city public schools and 89.8% for suburban public schools in 2020–21. These two rows provide a limited place-based comparison; they do not describe every community category or establish what accounts for the difference. The measure remains whether a school had a library media center under the NCES definition. Source: NCES Fast Facts, What information do you have on public school libraries?
| Community type | Public schools with a library media center, 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| City | 83.0% |
| Suburban | 89.8% |
School library access statistics: U.S. public school access by grade level and enrollment
NCES estimates differ across school levels. In 2020–21, 92.5% of public elementary schools and 94.1% of public middle schools had a library media center. For public secondary/high schools, the reported estimate was 75.5%. Each percentage uses schools at that level as its population; it does not indicate what share of individual students could use a library or how often they did. Source: NCES Fast Facts, What information do you have on public school libraries?
| U.S. public school level | With a library media center, 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Elementary | 92.5% |
| Middle | 94.1% |
| Secondary/high | 75.5% |
The school-level figures show high reported presence for elementary and middle schools in this estimate, alongside a lower estimate for secondary/high schools. NCES supplies school-level definitions in its table notes, so level categories should be interpreted according to those definitions. The results are descriptive: they do not identify the services offered, the size of collections, staffing, operating schedules, or the reasons a center was or was not present. Source: NCES Fast Facts, What information do you have on public school libraries?
Enrollment is another reported characteristic. Among U.S. public schools with fewer than 100 students, 53.0% had a library media center in 2020–21. The category is specifically schools below 100 students, and the percentage is a weighted estimate for those schools. It is not an estimate for all small schools under some broader definition, nor does the supplied figure include comparison rates for other enrollment bands. Source: NCES Fast Facts, What information do you have on public school libraries?
| Student enrollment | Public schools with a library media center, 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 100 students | 53.0% |
This enrollment result and the grade-level results answer different questions. Enrollment groups schools by student count, while school level groups them by educational level. The 53.0% figure should therefore not be treated as an alternative estimate for elementary, middle, or secondary/high schools. The supplied statistic establishes the reported presence rate for one enrollment category only. Source: NCES Fast Facts, What information do you have on public school libraries?
Private school library access statistics by school type and size
NCES’s private school table covers U.S. schools providing instruction for one or more grades from kindergarten through grade 12, or comparable ungraded levels. In 2021–22, 68.2% of these private schools reported having a library media center. The wording “reported having” reflects the table’s measure, and the population differs from the public school estimates above. The public and private results also come from different school years, so they are not a same-year comparison. Source: NCES Table 20, Private school library media centers, 2021–22
The private school typology results show 85.0% for Catholic schools and 56.9% for nonsectarian schools. These percentages describe the reported presence of a library media center within each typology. The table provides a selected-characteristics view; the values do not establish what causes variation across school types, and they do not describe the quality or extent of library services. Source: NCES Table 20, Private school library media centers, 2021–22
| Private school category | Reporting a library media center, 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| All private schools in table scope | 68.2% |
| Catholic | 85.0% |
| Nonsectarian | 56.9% |
| Elementary/middle | 65.7% |
The table reports 65.7% for private elementary/middle schools. NCES notes a school-level categorization change in 2021–22, which matters when comparing that category over time. The percentage remains interpretable for the listed year and category, but the classification note cautions against assuming that a school-level series is defined identically across years. Source: NCES Table 20, Private school library media centers, 2021–22
School size is associated with different reported shares in the selected rows. In 2021–22, 53.4% of private schools enrolling fewer than 50 students reported a library media center. Among private schools enrolling 750 or more students, the figure was 91.2%. The categories mark the exact thresholds shown in the table; they are not estimates for all small and large schools under other definitions. Source: NCES Table 20, Private school library media centers, 2021–22
| Private school enrollment | Reporting a library media center, 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 50 students | 53.4% |
| 750 or more students | 91.2% |
These private school estimates cover schools in the table’s K–12 or comparable ungraded scope. The comparison uses one reported category at each end of the supplied enrollment bands, so it should not be read as a complete size distribution. It does show how the measured share differs between the two specified groups in the 2021–22 table. Source: NCES Table 20, Private school library media centers, 2021–22
school library access: School library use and access in South Dakota
Access and use are related but distinct. South Dakota’s 2022–23 survey reported that 84% of students checked out at least one book during the school year. This is a student-use measure with a defined threshold of at least 1 book; it is not the same as the 97% reported to have access to a school library. Students may have access without checking out a book, and the figures describe separate outcomes. Source: South Dakota State Library, 2023 School Libraries Facts & Stats
The same survey reported 6,100 classes visiting school libraries every week and 8,600 students visiting independently each day. These are reported visit volumes over different intervals and for different kinds of visits. The weekly class figure counts classes, while the daily independent figure counts students; they should not be added together or compared as if they were measured on the same basis. Source: South Dakota State Library, 2023 School Libraries Facts & Stats
Read together, the South Dakota indicators distinguish several dimensions of school library activity: district and system presence, student access, collection additions per student, book checkout, class visits, and independent visits. Each has its own unit and period. The survey’s 181 responding districts and systems and 85% response rate provide context for the reported 2022–23 facts, while the indicators themselves retain the population and frequency specified by the source. Source: South Dakota State Library, 2023 School Libraries Facts & Stats