Rapid City Area School District 51-4

The Rapid City Area School District 51-4 in South Dakota operates 26 schools, including 15 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, 4 high schools, and 2 alternative schools. The district serves a diverse student population and faces significant performance gaps between its highest and lowest-performing schools.

Among the standout schools in the district are Southwest Middle School - 38, which consistently ranks among the top middle schools in the state, and Corral Drive Elementary - 21 and Pinedale Elementary - 11, which are also top-performing elementary schools. However, the district's alternative and online schools struggle with low graduation rates, high dropout rates, and lower proficiency on assessments.

The data reveals significant disparities in key metrics across the district, such as graduation rates ranging from 70.4% at Central High School to 84.2% at Stevens High School, and proficiency rates on state assessments varying widely between schools. These performance gaps appear to be closely linked to the socioeconomic status of the student population, with schools serving higher-income communities generally outperforming those with larger proportions of low-income students.