Enrollment
247
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hill City, SD
Hill City Elementary - 02
Federal NCES profile for Hill City Elementary - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 463336000279
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 75
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hill City Elementary - 02 earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Hill City · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 20.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Hill City Elementary - 02 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hill City Elementary - 02 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Hill City, SD.
School address
District: Hill City School District 51-2 · South Dakota
NCES ID 463336000279 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.8%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hill City Elementary - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hill City Elementary - 02
Hill City Elementary - 02 is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Hill City, South Dakota, enrolling 247 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 20.8% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 247 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 98 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 124 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
14.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Hill City School District 51-2 also operates Hill City High School - 01 (158 students) and Hill City Middle School - 04 (115 students) alongside Hill City Elementary - 02.
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 Hill City Elementary - 02 compares
Hill City Elementary - 02 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 | 14.5:1 | ▲ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.8% | ▼ 28% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 247 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
247
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 63% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,550
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 124 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 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 73.7%
Hispanic or Latino 15.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.9%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 73.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.7, Hill City Elementary - 02 is more mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hill City School District 51-2, which includes Hill City Elementary - 02.
$11,550
Per student
-14%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 76.4%
State 2.0%
Federal 21.6%
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 Hill City Elementary - 02 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hill City High School - 01 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hill City Middle School - 04 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hill City Elementary - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 158
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 115
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other 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 (~247 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hill City Elementary - 02's federal record.
- Compare Hill City Elementary - 02 against another school. Compare schools
- Hill City School District 51-2'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 Hill City Elementary - 02
How many students attend Hill City Elementary - 02?
Hill City Elementary - 02 has 247 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hill City, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hill City Elementary - 02?
The student-teacher ratio at Hill City Elementary - 02 is 14.5:1, which is 7% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hill City Elementary - 02?
20.8% of students at Hill City Elementary - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hill City Elementary - 02?
The largest demographic group at Hill City Elementary - 02 is White at 73.7% of enrollment, in Hill City, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hill City Elementary - 02?
Hill City Elementary - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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).
How does Hill City Elementary - 02 rank among public schools in Hill City?
By Resource Investment Index, Hill City Elementary - 02 ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Hill City, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Hill City on the city page.
Is Hill City Elementary - 02 a good school?
Hill City Elementary - 02 earns 53/100 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 Hill City School District 51-2?
Besides Hill City Elementary - 02, Hill City School District 51-2 also operates Hill City High School - 01 (158 students) and Hill City Middle School - 04 (115 students). See the Hill City School District 51-2 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.