Enrollment
247
Elementary
DISTRICT 173 · STATE 204
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HILL CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 51-2·NCES 463336000279
Hill City Elementary - 02
341 Main St, Hill City, SD 57745 · (605) 574-3015 · Pennington County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL247 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 43% of South Dakota public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded South Dakota public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
32%
78 students
DISTRICT 26% · STATE 42%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 14 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 38 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 30 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 36 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 43 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 42 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 44 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (38) is 14% smaller than its 5th grade class (44).
Student demographics
43%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 53% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). 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
Based on grade levels within Hill City School District 51-2. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
56.1%
SD avg 50.3% . +8.4pp since 2022
Math
45.5%
SD avg 47.5% . +3.4pp since 2022
What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 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 8 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 3 points.
SD Smarter Balanced results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 56.1% | 45.5% |
| 2023-24 | 53.4% | 44.1% |
| 2022-23 | 47.7% | 42.1% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
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
47.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.1%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 47% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% 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 →
Schools most like Hill City Elementary - 02
Hill City Elementary - 02's state test result (47.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hill City Elementary - 02 this school | 247 | 31.6% | 47.4% |
| South Canyon Elementary - 15 Rapid City | 274 | 30.7% | 44.2% |
| Freeman Elementary - 02 Freeman | 192 | 32.8% | 48.5% |
| Stewart Elementary - 05 Yankton | 271 | 38.0% | 45.6% |
| Beresford Elementary - 02 Beresford | 273 | 28.9% | 54.9% |
| Black Hawk Elementary - 03 Black Hawk | 305 | 34.1% | 29.9% |
Matched among South Dakota elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Hill City Elementary - 02 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Dakota | In Pennington County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 47.4% | #113 of 193 | #6 of 18 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.5% | #125 of 199 ▲ 3 | #6 of 19 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.1% | #74 of 202 ▲ 16 | #5 of 19 ▲ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 247 | #116 of 331 | #17 of 19 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.3:1 | #47 of 131 | #3 of 17 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 42.7% | #66 of 131 | #15 of 17 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 31.6% | #122 of 209 | #14 of 19 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
247
+38 (+18%) vs 2020
-3% since 1990-91, when it was 255
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 12.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 247 | 18.5 | 13.3:1 | 32% (78) |
| 2023-24 | 236 | 17.7 | 13.3:1 | 31% (72) |
| 2022-23 | 221 | 17.5 | 12.7:1 | 29% (65) |
| 2020-21 | 209 | 17 | 12.3:1 | 28% (58) |
| 2017-18 | 194 | 17.3 | 11.2:1 | 42% (81) |
| 2015-16 | 235 | 17 | 13.8:1 | 41% (96) |
| 2010-11 | 272 | 18 | 15.1:1 | 45% (122) |
| 2000-01 | 216 | 15 | 14.4:1 | 41% (89) |
| 1990-91 | 255 | 14 | 18.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Hill City Elementary - 02.
Since 2017-18: students up 27% (194 to 247); teachers up 7% (17.3 to 18.5).
About Hill City Elementary - 02
At 341 Main St in Hill City, South Dakota, Hill City Elementary - 02 operates as a mid-sized elementary school. Students in pre-K through 5 make up the school's enrollment of 247 students. That compares with an average of about 204 students for elementary schools in South Dakota.
Hill City Elementary - 02 is among 3 schools run by Hill City School District 51-2, which serves 520 students.
The largest group at Hill City Elementary - 02 is White students, at 74%. Other groups make up 16% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 5% Native American. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 43%.
Its ratio of 13.3:1 is based on 18.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. Elementary schools in South Dakota average 15.4:1, 2.1 more students per teacher than here. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 32%. Public schools in Pennington County average 41%.
Hill City Elementary - 02 holds a C+ allk12 Grade, placing it above 43% of South Dakota public elementary schools.
Hill City Elementary - 02 posts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 47.4%, compared with a predicted 50.1%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of South Dakota schools on BeatsExpectations.
In Pennington County, home to about 113,512 people, median household income comes to about $74,517, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Pennington County's 41 public schools enroll about 16,186 students and include Hill City Elementary - 02.
Among nearby public schools, Hill City Middle School - 04 is closest at less than a tenth of a mile. Other public schools within five miles number 2. The school's 47.4% average proficiency ranks 5th among 6 nearby schools.
Hill City Elementary - 02 is in rural territory some distance from an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Distant.
An 18% rise took enrollment from 209 in 2020-21 to 247 in 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio rising from 12.3:1 to 13.3:1.
Use the discussion section to ask about special education services, counseling, and support programs at Hill City Elementary - 02. You can also rate the school on this page.
Pennington County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
113,512
Census ACS
Median income
$74,517
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
41
16,186 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hill City School District 51-2
- Hill City High School - 01High · 158 students
- Hill City Middle School - 04Middle · 115 students
Other schools in Hill City
- Hill City High School - 01High · 158 students
- Hill City Middle School - 04Middle · 115 students
Other Hill City Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Hill City Elementary. Hill City Elementary - 02 is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- Hill City Elementary SchoolJasper, GA · 602 students
- Hill City ElemHill City, KS · 212 students
- Hill City ElementaryHILL CITY, MN · 112 students
Nearby schools
- Hill City Middle School - 040.1 mi · 115
- Hill City High School - 010.1 mi · 158
- A.C.E. High Academy - 0611.2 mi · 16
- Custer High School - 0111.4 mi · 272
- Custer Jr. High - 0511.4 mi · 101
- Custer Elementary - 0211.5 mi · 269
Frequently asked questions
About Hill City Elementary - 02How many students attend Hill City Elementary - 02?
Hill City Elementary - 02 enrolls approximately 247 students in grades PK-05.
Is Hill City Elementary - 02 an elementary, middle, or high school?
Hill City Elementary - 02 is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hill City Elementary - 02?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Hill City Elementary - 02 is approximately 13.3:1 (19 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Hill City Elementary - 02?
Student demographics at Hill City Elementary - 02 are roughly 74% White, 16% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Hill City Elementary - 02?
Hill City Elementary - 02 is overseen by Hill City School District 51-2 in Pennington County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.