Summary:
The 57745 zip code is home to a single middle school, Hill City Middle School - 04, which serves grades 6-8 and is part of the Hill City School District 51-2. While the district is ranked 31 out of 147 in South Dakota and rated 4 out of 5 stars, Hill City Middle School - 04 has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 58th out of 150 middle schools in 2022-2023 to 102nd out of 246 in 2024-2025.
Academically, the school's performance is mixed, with English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rates above the state average but mathematics proficiency rates below the state average. The school's chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2% is relatively high, which could be a contributing factor to the declining academic performance. Additionally, the school serves a significant population of economically disadvantaged students, with a free/reduced lunch rate of 38.14%, which may present additional challenges in terms of academic support and resources.
Despite the school's declining statewide ranking and mixed academic performance, its spending per student ($12,121) and student-teacher ratio (19.3) are within typical ranges, suggesting that resource allocation may not be the primary driver of the school's challenges. The school may benefit from a closer examination of its instructional practices, particularly in mathematics, as well as strategies to address chronic absenteeism and provide additional support for economically disadvantaged students.
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