Best Public Schools in Zip Code 57730

Summary:

The 57730 zip code area is home to 4 schools in the Custer School District 16-1, including 1 elementary school, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools (one of which is an alternative high school). Overall, the schools in this area perform well, with several standout institutions that rank among the top in the state.

Custer Elementary - 02 and Custer Junior High - 05 are the top performers, consistently scoring above state and district averages on standardized tests and earning high ratings from SchoolDigger. Custer High School - 01 is also a strong performer, ranking in the top 15% of high schools in South Dakota. In contrast, the alternative high school, A.C.E. High Academy - 06, struggles academically compared to the other high school in the district.

The schools in the 57730 zip code generally have high graduation rates, low dropout rates, and relatively low rates of free/reduced lunch recipients, suggesting a relatively affluent student population. Per-student spending ranges from $11,981 to $15,803, with student-teacher ratios between 11.2 and 19.0. Overall, the Custer School District appears to be effectively supporting its students, though the alternative high school faces unique challenges that warrant further investigation.

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 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Custer Elementary - 02	Public	PK, KG-6	1415 Wildcat Ln	Custer	57730	Custer County	Custer School District 16-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 673-4483	269	26	10.3	34.2%	226 (84.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.8%)	76.7	43^rd of 300 public elementary schools	85.7%		63.2	67^th of 201 public elementary schools	66.7%	24	48.5	72.2	73.2	58.1				63.4	51.5	63.9	61.0	62.8				60.1	65.9			$17,165	$950	$16,215
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
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 Junior High - 05	Public	7-8	1645 Wildcat Ln	Custer	57730	Custer County	Custer School District 16-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 673-4473	101	8	13.4	27.7%	89 (88.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	81.2	21^st of 246 public middle schools	91.5%		66.1	36^th of 147 public middle schools	75.5%	15					60.0	72.7		66.0					58.0	61.4		59.6		72.7		$14,156	$445	$13,711

Cities Near Zip Code 57730

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Custer	0.37 mi	4	56^th
Hill City	11.22 mi	3	43^rd
Hermosa	20.6 mi	3	171^st
Dewey	21.41 mi	2	36^th
Hot Springs	23.87 mi	3	110^th

See the top SD South Dakota cities

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.