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Hill City High School - 01

Public Grades 9-12

6^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 166 South Dakota High Schools

Better than 96% of South Dakota high schools

Summary

Hill City High School - 01 is a public high school in Hill City, South Dakota, serving 154 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Hill City School District 51-2, which is ranked 31 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hill City High School - 01 consistently outperforms the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for 11th-grade students in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 80.55% of students proficient or better in ELA and Science, compared to the state averages of 63.84% and 48.95%, respectively. The school also maintains high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 84.0% to 97.3% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has very low dropout rates, ranging from 0.0% to 2.8% in recent years, lower than the state average.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Lead-Deadwood Career & Technical Education - 10, Lincoln Building - 44, and Rapid City Online High School - 92, Hill City High School - 01 stands out in several key areas, such as academic performance, graduation rates, and spending per student. The school's strong performance, diverse student population, and higher spending per student make it a standout among the nearby schools in the region.

158

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,444

Per pupil spending ?

19%

Free/discounted lunch ?

488 Main St
Hill City, SD 57745

(605) 574-3000

District: Hill City School District 51-2

Feeder schools for Hill City High School - 01:

Elementary:	Hill City Elementary - 02
Middle:	Hill City Middle School - 04

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.5%

Hispanic:

17.7%

Two or more races:

6.3%

See top rated South Dakota high schools

Compare Hill City High School - 01 to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 60th percentile in 2015 → 96th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (76% vs 50% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of South Dakota high schools

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the South Dakota average (86%)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school76%

District avg76%

South Dakota avg50%

6^th of 166

South Dakota public high schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 36 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to top 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st of 147Hill City School District 51-2 among South Dakota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	91.8	6 of 166	96.4%	★★★★★
2024	78.2	25 of 141	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	69.6	34 of 138	75.4%	★★★★☆
2022	62.5	53 of 134	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	54 of 140	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	87.7	11 of 135	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	59.9	60 of 138	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	95.1	4 of 137	97.1%	★★★★★
2016	66.6	44 of 141	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.1	53 of 133	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.2	61 of 144	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	36.3	107 of 143	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.2	112 of 141	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	32.9	119 of 150	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	56.6	71 of 144	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.4	52 of 135	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	46.8	91 of 141	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	29.0	108 of 136	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	53.1	71 of 137	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	50.9	72 of 132	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2003	33.9	106 of 133	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	89.1	7 of 164	95.7%	★★★★★
2024	53.6	47 of 93	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.5	20 of 95	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	67.6	29 of 84	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.1	16 of 89	82.0%	★★★★☆
2019	92.0	5 of 83	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	65.1	30 of 82	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	48 of 81	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	97.4	4 of 154	97.4%	★★★★★
2018	49.6	29 of 53	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	87.0	15 of 162	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	88.2	9 of 107	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	63.3	31 of 96	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.7	41 of 87	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.1	72 of 89	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	78.5	14 of 88	84.1%	★★★★☆
2018	50.9	52 of 90	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	18 of 89	79.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	83 of 140	40.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	93.2	4 of 158	97.5%	★★★★★
2024	74.5	25 of 125	80.0%	★★★★☆
2023	73.9	22 of 121	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	65.5	45 of 123	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.8	30 of 129	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	92.5	3 of 123	97.6%	★★★★★
2018	56.1	58 of 123	52.8%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)97th percentile~ school

Female (2025)96th percentile~ school

Male (2025)91st percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)80th percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2025)41st percentile-56 vs school

Special Education (2025)41st percentile-56 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts81%+17 vs state

Science81%+32 vs state

Mathematics67%+30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hill City High School - 01

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 12th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 12th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hill City High School - 01	Public	9-12	488 Main St	Hill City	57745	Pennington County	Hill City School District 51-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 574-3000	158	12	13.0	19.0%	113 (71.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (17.7%)	3 (1.9%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.3%)	91.8	6^th of 166 public high schools	96.4%		78.2	25^th of 141 public high schools	82.3%	19	80.6			66.7			80.6		$13,444	$316	$13,128
A.C.E. High Academy - 06	Public, Virtual	9-12	527 Montgomery St	Custer	57730	Custer County	Custer School District 16-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(605) 673-4473	16	1	16.0	25.0%	13 (81.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (12.5%)	3.5	165^th of 166 public high schools	0.6%					(n/a)	20.0			0.0			0.0
Custer High School - 01	Public	9-12	1645 Wildcat Ln	Custer	57730	Custer County	Custer School District 16-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 673-4473	272	20	13.7	27.2%	230 (84.6%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.9%)	77.7	24^th of 166 public high schools	85.5%		77.5	26^th of 141 public high schools	81.6%	2	78.7			46.8			57.5		$15,649	$693	$14,956
Stevens High School - 42	Public	9-12	4215 Raider Rd	Rapid City	57702	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 394-4051	1,771	91	19.4	12.0%	1,385 (78.2%)	13 (0.7%)	134 (7.6%)	22 (1.2%)	76 (4.3%)	2 (0.1%)	139 (7.8%)	70.9	39^th of 166 public high schools	76.5%		54.1	67^th of 141 public high schools	52.5%	28	76.1	73.3	76.0	44.4	33.3	44.0	49.7	48.9	$10,965	$669	$10,297
Lead-Deadwood Career & Technical Education - 10	Public	9-12	22023 Job Corps Ctr	Nemo	57759	Lawrence County	Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 578-2371	54	6	8.4	94.4%	21 (38.9%)	2 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	30 (55.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29.1	134^th of 166 public high schools	19.3%					(n/a)	44.4	50.0	45.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	44.4	45.5
Lincoln Building - 44	Public	12	851 West St	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 394-1813	23	1	23.0	60.9%	13 (56.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (21.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (21.7%)								(n/a)
Rapid City Online High School - 92	Public, Virtual	9-12	625 9th St Ste 208	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(605) 394-4048	73	1	101.3	26.0%	42 (57.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (15.1%)	11.7	154^th of 166 public high schools	7.2%		6.9	128^th of 141 public high schools	9.2%	26	28.6	0.0	18.8	4.8	0.0	3.1	14.3	9.4	$6,917	$598	$6,319

Frequently Asked Questions about Hill City High School - 01

Is Hill City High School - 01 a good school?

Yes! Hill City High School - 01 is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 6^th of 166 South Dakota high schools.

How many students attend Hill City High School - 01?

In the 2024-25 school year, 158 students attended Hill City High School - 01.

What is the racial makeup of Hill City High School - 01?

Students at Hill City High School - 01 are 72% White, 18% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

What schools feed into Hill City High School - 01?

Hill City High School - 01 is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Hill City Elementary - 02
Middle : Hill City Middle School - 04

What district is Hill City High School - 01 in?

Hill City School District 51-2

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Dakota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.