RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Area School Board has approved spending $775,000 to support literacy programs during the 2026-27 school year.
The funding comes from a $3.1 million South Dakota Department of Education grant awarded to the district last year through the Elevating Literacy Across South Dakota initiative. The grant is distributed over four years, providing approximately $775,000 annually to support reading achievement and literacy instruction.
According to district documents, the funding will be used across multiple grade levels and for staff training. More than $405,000 will go toward professional development for educators, while additional funding will support literacy efforts in pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school programs.
The investment comes as the district works to improve student reading performance. State report card data shows 43 percent of Rapid City Area Schools students met or exceeded expectations on English language arts assessments during the 2024-25 school year, compared with the statewide average of 52 percent.
During the same meeting, board members also approved several grants from the Black Hills Area Community Foundation and the Promising Futures Fund. The grants will help launch a book-a-month program at Knollwood, General Beadle, Horace Mann, and Robbinsdale elementary schools, providing students with a new book each month during the school year.
District leaders say the literacy investments are designed to strengthen reading skills, support classroom instruction, and improve long-term academic outcomes for students across the district.
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