Total enrollment
12,313
-494 (-4%) vs SY 2020-21
27 schools in Rapid City Area School District 51-4
South Dakota · 12,610 students · 2 cities
For families inside Rapid City Area School District 51-4, public-school options total 27 K-12 schools, with enrollment near 12,610 (16 elementary, 5 middle, and 4 high).
4-year change in Rapid City Area School District 51-4
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
25
-1 (-4%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Rapid City Area School District 51-4 ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In South Dakota | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.6% | #22 of 23 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 12,610 | #2 of 50 | #695 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 26 | #2 of 50 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.0:1 | #43 of 50 | #6,445 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 43.2% | #11 of 50 | #5,135 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.8% | #3 of 22 | #1,541 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 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.
Inside Rapid City Area School District 51-4
State test results across the district's 19 scored schools run from Southwest Middle School - 38 at 65.6% proficient to General Beadle Elementary - 01 at 12.4%, a gap of 53.2 points. That is the 2nd widest gap among 15 South Dakota districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 23 district schools that reported both years went from 12,966 to 12,233 students (down 6%) and from 772 to 767 full-time teachers (down 1%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Rapid City Area School District 51-4
Rapid City Area School District 51-4 is an average-sized South Dakota school district running 27 schools with combined enrollment near 12,610.
Looking at the level breakdown, Rapid City Area School District 51-4 is built around 16 elementary, 5 middle, 4 high schools, and 2 combined or other.
Per-school enrollment averages around 467 in this district, noticeably above the South Dakota typical of 208.
Over the past 4-year window. Total public-school enrollment in Rapid City Area School District 51-4 has contracted 4% since SY 2020-21, moving from about 12,807 students to 12,313. Rapid City Area School District 51-4 now counts 25 public schools, down from 26 in SY 2020-21.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for Rapid City Area School District 51-4 discusses sports rivalries, cross-district programs, and shared facilities. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.