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Hill City, South Dakota - 3 schools
An equity score of 31/100 ranks Hill City School District 51-2 #98 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,550 per pupil, Hill City School District 51-2 ranks #94 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
493
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$11,550
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Hill City School District 51-2 operates 3 public schools serving 493 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Pennington County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,550 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending. See how South Dakota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 76.4% local, 2.0% state, and 21.6% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 31/100, ranked #98 of 121 in South Dakota against a state average of 51, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (1 AP courses district-wide), a 113:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 14.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 70.4% White, 18.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hill City Middle School - 04, with a diversity index of 50.6/100.
Its largest campus is Hill City Elementary - 02, enrolling 247 students (48% of the district's total enrollment).
Hill City Elementary - 02 accounts for 47.5% of all Hill City School District 51-2 student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Hill City School District 51-2 a distant remainder — means Hill City School District 51-2-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Hill City School District 51-2 school enrollment varies 2.1× across entities
Hill City School District 51-2 school enrollment ranges from 115 students (lowest) to 247 students (highest), a spread of 132 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Hill City School District 51-2 student-counselor ratio is 113:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Hill City School District 51-2 chronic absenteeism rate is 14.6% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Comparisons are relative to Hill City School District 51-2's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in South Dakota
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Hill City School District 51-2?
Hill City School District 51-2 has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 493 students.
How much does Hill City School District 51-2 spend per student?
Hill City School District 51-2 spends $11,550 per student. The district has an equity score of 31/100, ranking #98 in South Dakota.
What is the demographic composition of Hill City School District 51-2?
Hill City School District 51-2 students are 70.4% White, 18.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Hill City School District 51-2?
Hill City School District 51-2 has an equity score of 31/100, ranking #98 out of 121 districts in South Dakota.