Original Research by School Decision on A.c.e. High Academy - 06
A.C.E. High Academy sits on Montgomery Street in Custer, a small mountain town in the Black Hills that serves as the county seat of Custer County. The school serves grades nine through twelve and is part of Custer School District 16-1. It is an unusually small high school, with total enrollment in the upper teens and the bulk of students concentrated in the junior and senior years. Only a handful of students fill the freshman and sophomore classes. The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of students identifying as two or more races and a single Hispanic student. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and special education populations was not reported, so those figures are unavailable.
Academically, there is very little to go on. State assessment records in the data reference an elementary school in the same district under the name Fairburn Elem, covering grades three through six, with proficiency rates reported as missing across every subject and grade. That data does not pertain to A.C.E. High Academy's grade range and cannot serve as a measure of this school's performance. No high school assessment results, graduation rate, or nationally standardized academic context were available for this entity. A parent evaluating academic outcomes would want to ask the school or district directly for current proficiency data, graduation and postsecondary outcomes, and any program documentation, since none of that appears in the available record.
No program offerings, course access, staffing, discipline, or attendance data were provided. The school's type, Title I status, and magnet designation were all listed as null or not reported. Charter status is listed as false. Without these details, it is hard to characterize the instructional model or the range of academic pathways available. What the data does tell you is the setting.
Custer is the oldest town established by European Americans in the Black Hills, originally a mining settlement and now a residential community and tourism gateway. The downtown has a compact main street with gift shops, galleries, boutiques, and restaurants, and the town is small enough that civic, commercial, and institutional functions sit close together rather than spread across separate campus zones. Monument Health Custer Hospital provides clinical, emergency, and therapy services in town, and the U.S. Forest Service Black Hills National Forest Supervisor's headquarters is located here, making the federal government a steady employer. Tourism and hospitality form the mainstay of the local economy, expanding seasonally during the summer tourist season and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The old mining and timber economy has faded, with the nearby sawmill and local mining company both closed.
The town sits at the edge of major outdoor attractions. Custer State Park, with its granite peaks, plains, pine forest, and buffalo herds, lies just outside town. Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore, and the Crazy Horse Memorial are all nearby. The Black Hills National Forest surrounds the area. This is a place where the natural setting is the dominant feature of daily life.
Publicly reported data describes Custer's population as relatively stable but slightly declining, with an aging median age and a notable share of residents aged 65 or older. The town has historically been smaller and less wealthy than the Northern Hills cities of Deadwood and Lead. No major new housing developments surfaced in the research. The housing market in the school's zip code sits well above the state benchmark and modestly above the national benchmark, with a price-to-income ratio above the national level. Estimated monthly mortgage costs at current rates are substantial relative to the area's income profile. Rental data was not available for this zip code.
For a family considering A.C.E. High Academy, the defining characteristic is size. With fewer than two dozen students across four grade levels, this is a very small high school environment, which can mean close attention from adults and a tight peer group, but also limited course variety, fewer extracurriculars, and a peer pool that changes little from year to year. The data does not tell us what programs or instructional approaches the school offers, so a visit or direct conversation with the district would be the next step for any family trying to understand whether this setting fits their student.
See more original research from School Decision →