Summary:
Hill City School District 51-2 has one listed elementary school, Hill City Elementary - 02, serving prekindergarten through grade 5 and enrolling 247 students. Its latest results show a mixed picture: all-grade math and fifth-grade science are above South Dakota rates, while all-grade ELA is just below. The clearest concern is grade 3, where both ELA and math are well below state results.
With only one school listed, there is no school-to-school top or bottom comparison; the meaningful comparison is with the state. In 2025–2026, Hill City Elementary - 02 had 46% proficiency in all-grade math, 2 percentage points above South Dakota, and 45% in grade 5 science, 3 points above. All-grade ELA was 48%, about 1 point below the state. Grade 3 was the weakest result: ELA was 31%, 12 points below the state, and math was 31%, 20 points below. In contrast, grades 4 and 5 were above state rates in both ELA and math, by 3 to 9 points in ELA and 5 to 6 points in math. Chronic absenteeism was also lower than comparison rates: 6%, versus 10% districtwide and 20% statewide.
Results changed differently by subject over time. All-grade ELA at Hill City Elementary - 02 fell from 55% in 2024–2025 to 48% in 2025–2026, a 7-point drop; the state rate declined by 2 points, leaving the school’s position 5 points worse relative to the state. Math edged up from 45% to 46%, while the state rose by less than 1 point, so the school’s lead grew from 2 to 2 points when rounded. Fifth-grade science remained above the state, but its advantage narrowed from 8 points to 3 as the school’s rate fell 4 points. Context figures include a 13.3 student-teacher ratio and 32% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025; these do not explain the results.
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