Douglas High School - 03

Set in Box Elder, South Dakota, Douglas High School - 03 is a big 9-12 campus, one of the schools within Douglas School District 51-1. It educates 739 students across grades 9 through 12. That puts it 228% above the typical public school in South Dakota, which averages around 225 students.

Within Douglas School District 51-1, which oversees 4 schools and 2,808 students, Douglas High School - 03 is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Douglas High School - 03 lists that 69% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 11% Hispanic, 11% multiracial, 7% Native American. By comparison, Pennington County as a whole is about 79% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 43 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 20.6:1 average. Roughly 31% of students at Douglas High School - 03 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Pennington County runs at roughly 41%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Pennington County put median household earnings sit near $74,517, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Douglas High School - 03 is one of 41 public schools in Pennington County (combined enrollment of about 16,186 students).

Nearest neighbor: Patriot Elementary -06, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools.

Douglas High School - 03 operates from a town-center location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Douglas High School - 03 has stayed largely flat, going from 734 students in 2018 to 739 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.