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Ames Middle School

Q: Is Ames Middle School a good school?

Ames Middle School ranks 147 th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

147^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 344 Iowa Middle Schools

Better than 57% of Iowa middle schools

Summary

Ames Middle School is a public middle school serving 1,032 students in grades 6-8 in Ames, Iowa, which is part of the Ames Community School District. The school consistently outperforms the state average in academic achievement, with 81% of 6th graders, 70.5% of 7th graders, and 87.6% of 8th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 72.8%, 74.9%, and 80.2%, respectively.

However, Ames Middle School is facing some challenges, including a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism rates, which have risen from 23.4% in 2022-2023 to 29.2% in 2023-2024, significantly higher than the state's average. Additionally, the school's percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch has increased from 27.96% in 2021-2022 to 32.85% in 2023-2024, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. Ames Middle School's statewide ranking has also dropped from 104 out of 342 Iowa middle schools in 2018-2019 to 147 out of 344 in 2024-2025, and its SchoolDigger star rating has decreased from 4 stars to 3 stars over the same period.

Compared to nearby middle schools, Ames Middle School generally outperforms schools like Ogden Middle School, Woodward-Granger Middle School, and Boone Middle School in test scores. However, some schools, such as Gilbert Middle School and Ballard Middle School, have even higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates.

1,033

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,412

Per pupil spending ?

31.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3915 Mortensen Road
Ames, IA 50014

(515) 268-2400

District: Ames Community School District

Students who attend Ames Middle School usually attend:

High:

Ames High School

Feeder schools for Ames Middle School:

Elementary:	Edwards Elementary School
	Fellows Elementary School
	Meeker Elementary School
	Mitchell Elementary School
	More...
	Sawyer Elementary School
Prekindergarten:	Northwood Pre-School

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.1%

Hispanic:

12.5%

African American:

10.0%

See top rated Iowa middle schools

Compare Ames Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 48th percentile in 2023 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 57th (2025) from a 48th-percentile low (2023)

✓Above the Iowa median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg78%

Iowa avg74%

147^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 32 pts since 2015

From top 11% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

145^th of 313Ames Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	59.1	147 of 344	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	169 of 337	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.2	175 of 334	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.5	170 of 337	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.5	162 of 324	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.8	104 of 342	69.6%	★★★★☆
2018	79.6	36 of 318	88.7%	★★★★☆
2017	77.3	45 of 327	86.2%	★★★★☆
2016	76.2	56 of 343	83.7%	★★★★☆
2015	78.5	39 of 349	88.8%	★★★★☆
2014	85.3	14 of 337	95.8%	★★★★★
2013	87.2	6 of 350	98.3%	★★★★★
2012	85.7	11 of 349	96.8%	★★★★★

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts80%+4 vs state

Mathematics78%+5 vs state

Science74%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ames Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)				ISASP Mathematics (2025)				ISASP Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ames Middle School	Public	6-8	3915 Mortensen Road	Ames	50014	Story County	Ames Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 268-2400	1,033	70	14.7	31.2%	642 (62.1%)	103 (10.0%)	129 (12.5%)	77 (7.5%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	79 (7.6%)	59.1	147^th of 344 public middle schools	57.3%		55.5	169^th of 337 public middle schools	49.9%	22		81.0	70.5	87.6		82.0	73.4	77.6		74.4	$11,412	$258	$11,154
Gilbert Middle School	Public	6-8	201 E. Mathews	Gilbert	50105	Story County	Gilbert Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 232-0540	408	26	15.4	9.3%	347 (85.0%)	7 (1.7%)	20 (4.9%)	17 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.2%)	91.8	2^nd of 344 public middle schools	99.4%		92.3	2^nd of 337 public middle schools	99.4%			92.0	98.4	97.1		90.5	92.9	92.9		92.9	$12,292	$237	$12,056
Ballard Middle School	Public	6-8	509 N Main Ave	Huxley	50124	Story County	Ballard Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 597-2815	418	28	15.1	17.7%	387 (92.6%)	4 (1.0%)	14 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	79	35^th of 344 public middle schools	89.8%		71	80^th of 337 public middle schools	76.3%	45		88.5	88.2	82.6		89.9	90.6	83.3		82.6	$13,142	$46	$13,096
Boone Middle School	Public	5-8	1640 1st	Boone	50036	Boone County	Boone Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 433-0020	586	41	14.2	32.3%	523 (89.2%)	6 (1.0%)	31 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.1%)	49.3	202^nd of 344 public middle schools	41.3%		45.7	214^th of 337 public middle schools	36.5%	12	55.9	55.7	75.5	90.7	63.8	67.1	72.7	76.4	49.6	78.1	$12,674	$334	$12,339
Madrid Junior High School	Public	6-8	599 N Kennedy	Madrid	50156	Boone County	Madrid Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 795-3240	151	7	22.1	22.5%	140 (92.7%)	1 (0.7%)	5 (3.3%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.6%)	62.4	127^th of 344 public middle schools	63.1%		63.6	125^th of 337 public middle schools	62.9%	2		80.0	84.0	88.6		67.3	72.0	79.5		88.6	$11,710	$73	$11,637
Nevada Middle School	Public	5-8	1035 15th St	Nevada	50201	Story County	Nevada Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 382-2751	442	30	14.7	42.1%	359 (81.2%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (13.1%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.6%)	75.5	52^nd of 344 public middle schools	84.9%		67.9	104^th of 337 public middle schools	69.1%	52	84.8	84.5	77.7	89.6	88.4	83.3	86.0	86.7	81.3	84.0	$12,308	$518	$11,790
Roland-Story Middle School	Public	5-8	206 S Main St	Roland	50236	Story County	Roland-Story Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 388-4348	331	20	16.2	20.5%	304 (91.8%)	7 (2.1%)	9 (2.7%)	4 (1.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	83.1	22^nd of 344 public middle schools	93.6%		91.1	3^rd of 337 public middle schools	99.1%	19	81.7	84.6	87.9	92.4	87.1	88.5	86.4	87.0	74.2	87.9	$10,323	$139	$10,183
North Polk Middle School	Public	6-8	315 NE 141st Ave.	Alleman	50007	Polk County	North Polk Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 984-3400	504	31	16.4	8.5%	471 (93.5%)	7 (1.4%)	13 (2.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.0%)	83.8	19^th of 344 public middle schools	94.5%		78.5	42^nd of 337 public middle schools	87.5%	23		90.3	85.7	95.8		90.3	77.1	92.8		91.4	$11,145	$144	$11,001
Woodward-Granger Middle School	Public	6-8	306 W 3rd St	Woodward	50276	Dallas County	Woodward-Granger Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 438-4263	248	12	21.4	24.2%	228 (91.9%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.4%)	60.4	138^th of 344 public middle schools	59.9%		74.4	64^th of 337 public middle schools	81.0%	74		80.0	73.3	89.4		70.3	81.6	75.8		83.3	$17,033	$616	$16,417
Ogden Middle School	Public	6-8	732 W. Division St.	Ogden	50212	Boone County	Ogden Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(515) 275-4034	158	9	17.3	19.6%	152 (96.2%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.9%)	54.8	173^rd of 344 public middle schools	49.7%		64.5	120^th of 337 public middle schools	64.4%	53		71.2	80.4	86.3		71.2	84.3	80.4		62.7	$13,996	$327	$13,670

Frequently Asked Questions about Ames Middle School

What district is Ames Middle School in?

Ames Community School District

How many students attend Ames Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,033 students attended Ames Middle School.

Is Ames Middle School a good school?

Ames Middle School ranks 147^th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ames Middle School?

Students at Ames Middle School are 62% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% African American, 8% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Ames Middle School attend?

Students who attend Ames Middle School usually go on to attend Ames High School

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IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Ames, IA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.