Stevens High School - 42

Located at 4215 Raider Rd, in Rapid City, South Dakota, Stevens High School - 42 is a large senior high that works with 1,771 students (grades 9 through 12), run under Rapid City Area School District 51-4. By comparison, South Dakota's public schools average about 225 students each, so Stevens High School - 42 sits 687% larger than that benchmark.

Across the 26 schools in Rapid City Area School District 51-4 (12,610 students total), Stevens High School - 42 accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Stevens High School - 42 lists that the largest single group is White, at 78% of enrollment. Other groups include 8% multiracial, 8% Hispanic, 4% Native American. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

In terms of school funding signals, Stevens High School - 42 records 91 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 19.5:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 20.6:1 average. Roughly 12% of students at Stevens High School - 42 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Pennington County (around 41%), the school's rate is noticeably below typical.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Pennington County put the typical household earns roughly $74,517 per year, about 35% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Stevens High School - 42 is one of 41 public schools in Pennington County (combined enrollment of about 16,186 students).

The closest other public school is West Middle School - 37, roughly 0.7 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Stevens High School - 42 operates from a city-core location.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count climbed 9%: 1,626 students in 2018 compared to 1,771 in 2025. The White share of enrollment fell from 85% to 78% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 20.8:1 in 2018 to 19.5:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.