Enrollment
305
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Black Hawk, SD
Black Hawk Elementary - 03
Federal NCES profile for Black Hawk Elementary - 03, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 465982000538
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Black Hawk Elementary - 03 earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 27.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 305
- students enrolled
Black Hawk Elementary - 03 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Rapid City Area School District 51-4 · South Dakota
NCES ID 465982000538 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Black Hawk Elementary - 03 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Black Hawk Elementary - 03
Black Hawk Elementary - 03 is a mid-sized elementary school in Black Hawk, South Dakota, enrolling 305 students.
At 12.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Dakota median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 27.6% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 305 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 66 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #32.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 305 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Rapid City Area School District 51-4 also operates Central High School - 41 (1,998 students) and Stevens High School - 42 (1,771 students) alongside Black Hawk Elementary - 03.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Black Hawk Elementary - 03 compares
Black Hawk Elementary - 03 on the metrics families compare, against South Dakota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs South Dakota | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.6% | ▼ 4% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 305 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
305
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 43% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,191
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 305 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
36
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 74.8%
Hispanic or Latino 10.8%
Two or More 8.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.9%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 74.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.9, Black Hawk Elementary - 03 is more mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rapid City Area School District 51-4, which includes Black Hawk Elementary - 03.
$11,191
Per student
-17%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.3%
State 26.7%
Federal 18.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Black Hawk Elementary - 03 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School - 41 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stevens High School - 42 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Middle School - 36 | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southwest Middle School - 38 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Middle School - 30 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Black Hawk Elementary - 03's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 1,771
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~305 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Black Hawk Elementary - 03's federal record.
- Compare Black Hawk Elementary - 03 against another school. Compare schools
- Rapid City Area School District 51-4's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Black Hawk Elementary - 03
How many students attend Black Hawk Elementary - 03?
Black Hawk Elementary - 03 has 305 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Black Hawk, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Black Hawk Elementary - 03?
The student-teacher ratio at Black Hawk Elementary - 03 is 12.7:1, which is 7% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Black Hawk Elementary - 03?
27.6% of students at Black Hawk Elementary - 03 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Black Hawk Elementary - 03?
The largest demographic group at Black Hawk Elementary - 03 is White at 74.8% of enrollment, in Black Hawk, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Black Hawk Elementary - 03?
Black Hawk Elementary - 03 has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Black Hawk Elementary - 03 a good school?
Black Hawk Elementary - 03 earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Rapid City Area School District 51-4?
Besides Black Hawk Elementary - 03, Rapid City Area School District 51-4 also operates Central High School - 41 (1,998 students), Stevens High School - 42 (1,771 students), and South Middle School - 36 (618 students). See the Rapid City Area School District 51-4 district page for the complete list.
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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.