Hot Springs County School District #1

Hot Springs County School District #1 has three schools serving 584 students from prekindergarten through grade 12: Ralph Witters Elementary (PK–4), Thermopolis Middle School (grades 5–8), and Hot Springs County High School (grades 9–12). In 2025–2026, the schools’ reported results averaged 12.5 percentage points above state proficiency levels, although individual results ranged from 1.9 points below to 30.2 points above. The clearest overall standout is the high school, averaging 21.1 points above the state.

The high school leads, with the middle school also well above state results and the elementary school showing the smallest margin. The high school averaged 21.1 points above the state across five results, led by grade 9 math at 76.7% versus 46.5% statewide (+30.2 points). The middle school averaged 11.5 points above the state across nine results; grade 8 math was especially strong (+29.7), while grade 7 math was the lowest result in the group, at 51.0% versus 52.9%. The elementary averaged 5.6 points above the state; its grade 4 science result was 11.2 points above, while grade 3 math was 0.8 points below.

Recent trends favor the high school, while the other schools’ average state-relative margins narrowed. From 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, the high school’s average gap grew from 13.8 to 21.1 points; the middle school’s fell from 14.5 to 11.5, and the elementary’s from 6.9 to 5.6. SchoolDigger rankings show the high school rising from 10th of 80 schools in 2023–2024 to 3rd of 81, the middle school moving from 1st of 74 to 10th of 76, and the elementary remaining nearly steady at 45th of 147 and then 46th of 148. Student-teacher ratios were similar, from 11.2 to 11.9. Free/reduced-lunch eligibility ranged from 39.8% at the middle school to 47.7% at the elementary; these figures describe school context, not a reason for results. The high school’s 2024–2025 graduation rate was 89.1%, six points above the state.