Total enrollment
15,889
-319 (-2%) vs SY 2020-21
Pennington County
South Dakota · Public K-12
Pennington County sits inside South Dakota and runs 41 public K-12 schools, enrolling about 16,186 students. Rapid City Area School District 51-4 alone accounts for 12,305 of those students. That works out to 22 elementary, 9 middle, and 8 high schools.
4-year change in Pennington County
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
37
-2 (-5%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Pennington County ranks
Among counties| Measure | This county | In South Dakota | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.1% | #20 of 22 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 16,186 | #2 of 31 | #563 of 2,745 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 38 | #2 of 31 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.7:1 | #28 of 31 | #1,998 of 2,655 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 41.0% | #11 of 31 | #2,054 of 2,526 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.1% | #5 of 30 | #619 of 2,707 |
Counties need at least 3 schools and 1,000 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Pennington County school rankings
Residents
113,512
all ages · ACS 5-yr
Schools
41
5 districts
Enrollment
16,186
students · NCES CCD
Median income
$74,517
Above South Dakota avg
Free/reduced lunch
41.0%
Below South Dakota avg
Elementary
22
7,384 students
Middle
9
3,743 students
High
8
4,954 students
Combined / other
2
105 students
LARGEST DISTRICT
Rapid City Area School District 51-4
12,305 students · 5 districts in Pennington County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Pennington County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
34.6%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
6.7%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
3.2%
civilian labor
Median age
40
22.0% under 18
Test scores in Pennington County
Latest 2024-25 ELA proficiency, 27 schools ranked. South Dakota state average: 50.4%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
- Southwest Middle School - 38· 68.5%
- Wall Middle School - 06· 63.6%
- Meadowbrook Elementary - 10· 57.8%
- Corral Drive Elementary - 21· 57.5%
- Wall Elementary - 02· 56.6%
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School - 41 | Rapid City | High | 09-12 | 1,998 | · |
| Stevens High School - 42 | Rapid City | High | 09-12 | 1,771 | · |
| Patriot Elementary -06 | Box Elder | Elementary | PK-03 | 982 | · |
| Douglas High School - 03 | Box Elder | High | 09-12 | 739 | · |
| Douglas Middle School - 01 | Box Elder | Middle | 06-08 | 633 | · |
| South Middle School - 36 | Rapid City | Middle | 06-08 | 618 | · |
| Southwest Middle School - 38 | Rapid City | Middle | 06-08 | 614 | · |
| East Middle School - 30 | Rapid City | Middle | 06-08 | 613 | · |
| Valley View Elementary - 13 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 605 | · |
| West Middle School - 37 | Rapid City | Middle | 06-08 | 591 | · |
| Rapid Valley Elementary - 12 | Rapid City | Elementary | PK-05 | 486 | · |
| General Beadle Elementary - 01 | Rapid City | Elementary | PK-05 | 483 | · |
| Meadowbrook Elementary - 10 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 478 | · |
| Vandenberg Elementary - 02 | Box Elder | Elementary | 04-05 | 454 | · |
| Corral Drive Elementary - 21 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 439 | · |
| Grandview Elementary - 06 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 431 | · |
| North Middle School - 35 | Rapid City | Middle | 06-08 | 418 | · |
| Pinedale Elementary - 11 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 377 | · |
| Knollwood Heights Elementary - 08 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 368 | · |
| Robbinsdale Elementary - 14 | Rapid City | Elementary | PK-05 | 328 | · |
| Woodrow Wilson Elementary - 17 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 328 | · |
| South Park Elementary - 16 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 313 | · |
| Canyon Lake Elementary - 04 | Rapid City | Elementary | PK-05 | 297 | · |
| Horace Mann Elementary - 07 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 274 | · |
| South Canyon Elementary - 15 | Rapid City | Elementary | KG-05 | 274 | · |
| Hill City Elementary - 02 | Hill City | Elementary | PK-05 | 247 | · |
| Hill City High School - 01 | Hill City | High | 09-12 | 158 | · |
| Hill City Middle School - 04 | Hill City | Middle | 06-08 | 115 | · |
| New Underwood Elementary - 02 | New Underwood | Elementary | KG-05 | 113 | · |
| Wall Elementary - 02 | Wall | Elementary | KG-05 | 107 | · |
| Wall High School - 01 | Wall | High | 09-12 | 100 | · |
| Jefferson Building - 64 | Rapid City | Combined | PK-12 | 98 | · |
| New Underwood High School - 01 | New Underwood | High | 09-12 | 92 | · |
| New Underwood Middle School - 04 | New Underwood | Middle | 06-08 | 75 | · |
| Rapid City Online High School - 92 | Rapid City | High | 09-12 | 73 | · |
| Wall Middle School - 06 | Wall | Middle | 06-08 | 66 | · |
| Lincoln Building - 44 | Rapid City | High | 12-12 | 23 | · |
| Wellfully - 65 | Rapid City | Combined | 01-12 | 7 | · |
| Big White Elementary - 08 | Quinn | Elementary | KG-06 | 0 | · |
| Douglas Preschool - 08 | Box Elder | Elementary | PK-PK | 0 | · |
| Rapid City High School - 45 | Rapid City | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
Cities in Pennington County
About Pennington County
In South Dakota, Pennington County is a medium-population county of about 113,512 residents. 41 public schools across the county teaches about 16,186 students between them.
Looking at the broader picture, census numbers show typical household earnings sit around $74,517, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. That income level is 6% noticeably above the South Dakota median.
On the school-mix side, Pennington County comprises 22 elementary schools (7,384 students), 9 middle schools (3,743), 8 high schools (4,954), and 2 combined or other schools.
The largest single district in Pennington County is Rapid City Area School District 51-4, which alone enrolls about 12,305 students.
Looking at the last 4 years. Combined enrollment now sits at 15,889 students, held roughly steady from the 16,208 reported in SY 2020-21. The school count fell from 39 to 37 across the same 4-year window.
On this page, the community for Pennington County discusses school events, board meetings, and seasonal calendars. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.
Frequently asked questions
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data