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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RAPID CITY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT 51-4·NCES 465982000822

West Middle School - 37

1003 Soo San Dr, Rapid City, SD 57702 · (605) 394-4033 · Pennington County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL591 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 33% of South Dakota public middle schools
  • C+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.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

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 middle schools

Enrollment
591
Middle
DISTRICT 571 · STATE 187
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 13.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
27%
161 students
DISTRICT 48% · STATE 42%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 619834%
Grade 719834%
Grade 819533%
Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 53% · US 70%
White
42171%
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 66% · US 43%
Hispanic
559%
DISTRICT 11% · STATE 9% · US 30%
Black
61%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 3% · US 15%
Asian
10%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 2% · US 6%
Two+
6812%
DISTRICT 12% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Native American
407%
DISTRICT 17% · STATE 14% · US 1%
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
Male
28949%
Female
30251%

Discussions

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Test scores

SD Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % Proficient
English Language Arts
50.4%
SD avg 50.3% . -0.5pp since 2022
Math
42.8%
SD avg 47.5% . +1.0pp since 2022

What this means: On the SD Smarter Balanced, South Dakota's statewide test, about 50 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 43 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all South Dakota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 47. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2022, while math scores are up about 1 points.

SD Smarter Balanced results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2550.4%42.8%
2023-2444.8%39.5%
2022-2350.9%41.8%
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SD Smarter Balanced. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
44.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
51.9%
based on SD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.6pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 44% 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 →

Schools most like West Middle School - 37

West Middle School - 37's state test result (44.2% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
West Middle School - 37 this school59127.2%44.2%
Georgia Morse Middle School - 02
Pierre
67229.0%53.6%
Watertown Middle School - 02
Watertown
57535.0%52.6%
Stagebarn Middle School - 10
Summerset
43228.2%46.6%
Madison Middle School - 02
Madison
27023.3%49.5%
Watertown Intermediate School - 13
Watertown
53238.5%51.1%
Matched among South Dakota middle 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 West Middle School - 37 ranks

Among middle schools
MeasureThis schoolIn South DakotaIn Pennington County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
44.2%#43 of 64#3 of 7
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
42.8%#42 of 64
▲ 2
#2 of 7
no change
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
50.4%#41 of 65
▲ 10
#3 of 7
▲ 1
Enrollment
ranked largest first
591#17 of 165#5 of 9
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.4:1#29 of 42#4 of 6
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
46.6%#15 of 42#5 of 6
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
27.2%#37 of 65#6 of 7
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-9.9%#10 of 26#3 of 6
Ranked against other public middle 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 2024-25
Enrollment
591
-8 (-1%) vs 2020
-31% since 1990-91, when it was 861
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
was 14.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2559138.415.4:127% (161)
2023-2460335.816.9:119% (114)
2022-2361238.515.9:126% (157)
2020-215994214.3:124% (144)
2017-186564016.4:128% (181)
2015-166683817.6:139% (262)
2010-116174214.7:126% (159)
2000-015593914.3:114% (81)
1990-918614419.6:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Middle School - 37.

Since 2017-18: students down 10% (656 to 591); teachers down 4% (40 to 38.4).

About West Middle School - 37

West Middle School - 37 is one of the public schools in Rapid City, South Dakota. It is a large middle school. The school covers grades 6 through 8 and reported 591 students in 2024-25. The school is 216% larger than the average for middle schools in South Dakota.

Federal data list 26 schools in Rapid City Area School District 51-4, with 12,610 students enrolled.

Federal enrollment data show West Middle School - 37 is 71% White. The remaining shares are 12% multiracial, 9% Hispanic, and 7% Native American. A diversity index of 47% means there is a 47% chance two randomly chosen students at West Middle School - 37 are from different groups.

On staff are 38.4 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 15.4:1. Statewide, middle schools in South Dakota average 13.4:1. West Middle School - 37 has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 27%. It compares with 41% for public schools in Pennington County.

West Middle School - 37 earns a C on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 33% of South Dakota public middle schools.

Based on student poverty, the model expects 51.9% at West Middle School - 37; the school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 44.2%.

In the wider Pennington County area, median household income comes to about $74,517, roughly 35% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Pennington County's 41 public schools enroll about 16,186 students and include West Middle School - 37.

Canyon Lake Elementary - 04, about 0.3 miles away, is the closest public school. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. On state test proficiency, West Middle School - 37 ranks 3rd in a group of 5 nearby schools.

The NCES locale for West Middle School - 37 is City: Small, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.

Compared with 2020-21, when it had 599 students, enrollment in 2024-25 was about the same at 591. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 14.3:1 to 15.4:1.

West Middle School - 37 has a community page on allk12 for topics such as pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. You can also rate the school on this page.

Pennington County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
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

School name
West Middle School - 37
District
Rapid City Area School District 51-4
Address
1003 Soo San Dr, Rapid City, SD 57702
Phone
(605) 394-4033
County
Pennington County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
591
Teachers (FTE)
38
Student–teacher ratio
15.4:1
Free and reduced lunch
161 (27%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
465982000822
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Rapid City Area School District 51-4
Other schools in Rapid City
Other West Middle schools

21 other US public schools in 13 states are named West Middle. West Middle School - 37 is the 11th largest of the 22.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About West Middle School - 37
What is the total enrollment at West Middle School - 37?
West Middle School - 37 enrolls approximately 591 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does West Middle School - 37 serve?
West Middle School - 37 serves grades 06-08.
How many teachers does West Middle School - 37 have?
West Middle School - 37 employs 38 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.4:1.
How diverse is West Middle School - 37?
West Middle School - 37 reports a student body of 71% White, 9% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 12% Two or more.
Who oversees West Middle School - 37?
West Middle School - 37 is overseen by Rapid City Area School District 51-4 in Pennington County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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