Enrollment
101
Middle
DISTRICT 75 · STATE 187
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CUSTER SCHOOL DISTRICT 16-1·NCES 461695000992
Custer Jr. High - 05
1645 Wildcat Ln, Custer, SD 57730 · (605) 673-4473 · Custer County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL101 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
8 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.2:1 · STATE 13.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
28%
28 students
DISTRICT 29% · STATE 42%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Custer Jr. High - 05→Custer High School - 01
Based on grade levels within Custer School District 16-1. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
66.0%
SD avg 50.3% . +16.0pp since 2022
Math
60.6%
SD avg 47.5% . +23.9pp since 2022
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 61 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all South Dakota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 47. Reading and writing scores are up about 16 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 24 points.
Source: SD Smarter Balanced. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
60.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
51.7%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 61% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 52% typical for South Dakota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among South Dakota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
101
-7 (-6%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 13.9:1
% White
88%
was 85%
% Hispanic
4%
was 6%
% Black
0%
was 2%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Custer Jr. High - 05
Located at 1645 Wildcat Ln, in Custer, South Dakota, Custer Jr. High - 05 is a modestly sized middle school that serves 101 students (grades 7 through 8), one of the schools within Custer School District 16-1. Compared to the state average of about 187 students per school, that is 46% below typical.
Within Custer School District 16-1, which oversees 6 schools and 887 students, Custer Jr. High - 05 is one campus in the system.
In terms of who attends, Custer Jr. High - 05 lists that nearly all students (88%) are White; the rest looks like 7% Native American, 4% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Custer County as a whole.
Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Custer Jr. High - 05 has 8 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.4:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 28% of students at Custer Jr. High - 05 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.
With demographic context factored in, Custer Jr. High - 05 sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 51.7%; this one delivers 60.7%.
Around the school, ACS estimates for Custer County put the typical household earns roughly $84,112 per year, about 32% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Custer County's 8 public schools (combined enrollment of about 903 students), Custer Jr. High - 05 is one campus in the mix.
The closest other public school is Custer High School - 01, roughly 0.0 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 3 other public schools cluster around Custer Jr. High - 05. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Custer Jr. High - 05 at 1st of 6; the average score across the group is 46.2%.
Geographically, the school is in a low-density area.
Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Custer Jr. High - 05 has contracted 6%, going from 108 students in 2018 to 101 in 2025.
In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.
Custer County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
8,892
Census ACS
Median income
$84,112
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
8
903 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Custer School District 16-1
- Custer High School - 01High · 272 students
- Custer Elementary - 02Elementary · 269 students
- Hermosa Elementary - 04Elementary · 181 students
- Hermosa Middle School - 07Middle · 48 students
- A.C.E. High Academy - 06High · 16 students
Other schools in Custer
- Custer High School - 01High · 272 students
- Custer Elementary - 02Elementary · 269 students
- A.C.E. High Academy - 06High · 16 students
Nearby schools
- Custer High School - 010.0 mi · 272
- Custer Elementary - 020.1 mi · 269
- A.C.E. High Academy - 061.1 mi · 16
- Hill City High School - 0111.3 mi · 158
- Hill City Middle School - 0411.4 mi · 115
- Hill City Elementary - 0211.4 mi · 247
Frequently asked questions
About Custer Jr. High - 05How large is Custer Jr. High - 05?
Custer Jr. High - 05 enrolls approximately 101 students in grades 07-08.
What age range does Custer Jr. High - 05 serve?
Custer Jr. High - 05 serves students from grade 07 through grade 08.
How many teachers does Custer Jr. High - 05 have?
Custer Jr. High - 05 employs 8 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Custer Jr. High - 05?
Student demographics at Custer Jr. High - 05 are roughly 88% White, 4% Hispanic, 1% Two or more.
Is Custer Jr. High - 05 public or private?
Custer Jr. High - 05 is a public K-12 school, overseen by Custer School District 16-1.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.