Enrollment
356
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Rapid City, SD
Rapid City High School - 45
Federal NCES profile for Rapid City High School - 45, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 465982001340
👥 S:T ratio 47
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rapid City High School - 45 earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #2 of 5
- high schools in Rapid City · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.2:1
- students per teacher
- 41.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Rapid City High School - 45 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rapid City High School - 45 ranks #2 of 5 high schools in Rapid City, SD.
School address
District: Rapid City Area School District 51-4 · South Dakota
NCES ID 465982001340 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.6%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rapid City High School - 45 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rapid City High School - 45
Rapid City High School - 45 is a mid-sized high school in Rapid City, South Dakota, enrolling 356 students.
At 13.2:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 41.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 356 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 37 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #21.
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 91 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 356 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Rapid City's high schools, it stands alongside Central High School - 41 (1,998 students): Rapid City High School - 45 is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.2:1 vs 20:1).
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 Rapid City High School - 45.
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 Rapid City High School - 45 compares
Rapid City High School - 45 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 | 13.2:1 | ▼ 3% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.6% | ▲ 44% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 356 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
356
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% above the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 48% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
71
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.6 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.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rapid City Area School District 51-4, which includes Rapid City High School - 45.
$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 Rapid City High School - 45 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School - 41 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stevens High School - 42 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Middle School - 36 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southwest Middle School - 38 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Middle School - 30 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rapid City High School - 45'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 high schools in Rapid City
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Central High School - 41
Standard public school
1,998 students 20:1 students per teacher
Stevens High School - 42
Standard public school
1,771 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Rapid City Online High School - 92
Standard public school
73 students 73:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Building - 44
Special-education school
23 students 11.5:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~356 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rapid City High School - 45's federal record.
- Compare Rapid City High School - 45 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 Rapid City High School - 45
How many students attend Rapid City High School - 45?
Rapid City High School - 45 has 356 students enrolled. It is a high school in Rapid City, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rapid City High School - 45?
The student-teacher ratio at Rapid City High School - 45 is 13.2:1, which is 3% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 16% 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 Rapid City High School - 45?
41.6% of students at Rapid City High School - 45 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rapid City High School - 45?
Rapid City High School - 45 has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Rapid City High School - 45 rank among high schools in Rapid City?
By Resource Investment Index, Rapid City High School - 45 ranks #2 of 5 high schools in Rapid City, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Rapid City on the city page.
Is Rapid City High School - 45 a good school?
Rapid City High School - 45 earns 29/100 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 Rapid City High School - 45, 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.
Related tools
Compare schools
Side-by-side comparison tool
Schools in South Dakota
All public schools in South Dakota
Rapid City Area School District 51-4
All schools in this district
Schools in Rapid City
All schools in this city
School districts
Ranked by enrollment & spending
Rankings
Best schools by state & type
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.