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Simle Middle School

Q: Is Simle Middle School a good school?

Simle Middle School ranks 31 st of 59 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

31^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 59 North Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 47% of North Dakota middle schools

Summary

Simle Middle School is a public middle school located in Bismarck, North Dakota, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,047 students. It is part of the Bismarck 1 School District, which is ranked 9th out of 23 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Simle Middle School faces some challenges compared to the district and state averages. Its academic performance, as measured by standardized test scores, is generally below the Bismarck 1 district and North Dakota state averages. The school has also seen a concerning trend in its dropout rates, which have increased from 1% to 4% in recent years, and struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 16% to 22%. However, the school has shown some strengths in the performance of certain student subgroups, such as female students and low-socioeconomic status students, who have outperformed their peers.

Compared to the nearby Horizon Middle School and Wachter Middle School, which are also part of the Bismarck 1 School District, Simle Middle School generally lags behind in academic performance, dropout rates, and chronic absenteeism. Horizon and Wachter have consistently outperformed Simle in state-wide rankings and test scores. Despite the increased per-student spending at Simle Middle School, the academic outcomes have not yet reflected the impact of this investment, suggesting the need for a closer examination of how these resources are being utilized.

1,053

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,596

Per pupil spending ?

22.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1218 Simle Dr
Bismarck, ND 58501

(701) 323-4600

District: Bismarck 1

Students who attend Simle Middle School usually attend:

High:

Legacy High School

Feeder schools for Simle Middle School:

Elementary:	Pioneer Elementary School
	Rita Murphy Elementary School
	Robert Place Miller Elementary School
	Silver Ranch Elementary School
	More...
	Sunrise Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.8%

American Indian:

8.6%

Two or more races:

6.6%

See top rated North Dakota middle schools

Compare Simle Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 36th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Dakota average (46% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg44%

North Dakota avg40%

31^st of 59

North Dakota public middle schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle Schools in the Bismarck 1

67^th of 134Bismarck 1 among North Dakota 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	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	31 of 59	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.9	30 of 57	47.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.3	32 of 61	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	41 of 61	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.7	42 of 60	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2020	36.9	43 of 55	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.8	43 of 55	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.7	39 of 55	29.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.6	39 of 52	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	45.8	34 of 53	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.8	32 of 52	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	53.5	78 of 136	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.5	69 of 135	48.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	34.3	106 of 124	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	54.6	7 of 15	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.3	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.8	12 of 15	20.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.2	14 of 14	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.4	12 of 13	7.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	89.2	1 of 12	91.7%	★★★★★
2017	60.1	3 of 10	70.0%	★★★★☆
2016	62.6	3 of 10	70.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	13 of 37	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.1	20 of 36	44.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.5	18 of 39	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.5	26 of 37	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.7	23 of 37	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2020	38.5	27 of 34	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	27 of 34	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	24 of 31	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	39.6	22 of 34	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.1	20 of 32	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.1	20 of 30	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	5 of 14	64.3%	★★★★☆
2020	56.9	4 of 12	66.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.1	6 of 13	53.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	34.3	20 of 31	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.2	25 of 28	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	26 of 28	7.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	22 of 24	8.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	23 of 24	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2020	19.3	26 of 26	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	26 of 26	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	23 of 25	8.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.5	21 of 25	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.9	20 of 23	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.0	19 of 23	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	50.8	21 of 37	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.9	24 of 36	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	27 of 39	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.2	29 of 37	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	31 of 37	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2020	34.8	28 of 34	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.5	28 of 34	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.7	24 of 31	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.0	26 of 34	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	40.1	20 of 32	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.0	20 of 30	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2023	56.9	3 of 5	40.0%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	23.1	9 of 10	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.4	10 of 12	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	7 of 10	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.3	9 of 10	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.0	8 of 9	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2020	29.5	9 of 10	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	8 of 9	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	8 of 8	0.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.1	7 of 7	0.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.2	5 of 7	28.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	19.5	6 of 6	0.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	56.7	14 of 23	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.3	14 of 24	41.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.7	15 of 22	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.5	19 of 24	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	20 of 22	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2020	25.9	19 of 21	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.9	19 of 21	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.6	18 of 20	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.5	16 of 19	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	44.0	13 of 19	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.1	15 of 18	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2025)65th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2025)64th percentile+17 vs school

African American (2025)53rd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)43rd percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2023)40th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)39th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile-12 vs school

Native American (2025)10th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs North Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Math54%+13 vs state

Science43%+5 vs state

Reading41%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Simle Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				A-Plus Math (2025)				A-Plus Reading (2025)				A-Plus Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	A-Plus Math 6th Grade	A-Plus Math 7th Grade	A-Plus Math 8th Grade	A-Plus Math All Grades	A-Plus Reading 6th Grade	A-Plus Reading 7th Grade	A-Plus Reading 8th Grade	A-Plus Reading All Grades	A-Plus Science 8th Grade	A-Plus Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Simle Middle School	Public	6-8	1218 Simle Dr	Bismarck	58501	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 323-4600	1,053	73	14.4	22.5%	809 (76.8%)	25 (2.4%)	39 (3.7%)	11 (1.0%)	91 (8.6%)	8 (0.8%)	70 (6.6%)	51	31^st of 59 public middle schools	47.5%		43.9	30^th of 57 public middle schools	47.4%	1	53.0	54.0	52.0	54.0	42.0	43.0	40.0	41.0	43.0	43.0	$12,596	$671	$11,926
Bismarck Middle Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	6-8	128 Soo Line Dr	Bismarck	58501	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(701) 323-4101	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)											$2,972	$598	$2,373
Wachter Middle School	Public	6-8	1107 S 7th St	Bismarck	58504	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 323-4650	1,012	69	14.6	30.7%	687 (67.9%)	23 (2.3%)	78 (7.7%)	6 (0.6%)	117 (11.6%)	12 (1.2%)	89 (8.8%)	62.3	15^th of 59 public middle schools	74.6%		61.4	16^th of 57 public middle schools	71.9%	1	52.0	47.0	58.0	52.0	43.0	46.0	52.0	47.0	62.0	62.0	$13,318	$630	$12,688
Horizon Middle School	Public	6-8	500 Ash Coulee Dr	Bismarck	58503	Burleigh County	Bismarck 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 323-4550	1,124	74	15.2	15.8%	891 (79.3%)	28 (2.5%)	55 (4.9%)	28 (2.5%)	38 (3.4%)	16 (1.4%)	68 (6.0%)	61.8	17^th of 59 public middle schools	71.2%		61.8	15^th of 57 public middle schools	73.7%	2	60.0	54.0	48.0	55.0	44.0	49.0	51.0	48.0	49.0	49.0	$12,084	$604	$11,480
Mandan Middle School	Public	6-8	2901 12th Ave NW	Mandan	58554	Morton County	Mandan 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(701) 751-6502	1,003	61	16.4	32.0%	759 (75.7%)	48 (4.8%)	67 (6.7%)	6 (0.6%)	85 (8.5%)	8 (0.8%)	30 (3.0%)	51.6	28^th of 59 public middle schools	52.5%		50.5	24^th of 57 public middle schools	57.9%	4	46.0	48.0	49.0	47.0	39.0	45.0	48.0	44.0	49.0	49.0	$13,252	$705	$12,548

IMPORTANT NOTE: North Dakota does not publish exact assessment percentages; instead, results are reported as ranges (e.g., 20-29%) to protect student privacy in smaller groups. The proficiency rates displayed on SchoolDigger are calculated using midpoint imputation—the center value of each reported range. Actual values may differ by up to 5 percentage points from the figures shown.

Frequently Asked Questions about Simle Middle School

What district is Simle Middle School in?

Bismarck 1

What high school do graduates of Simle Middle School attend?

Students who attend Simle Middle School usually go on to attend Legacy High School

Is Simle Middle School a good school?

Simle Middle School ranks 31^st of 59 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Simle Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,053 students attended Simle Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Simle Middle School?

Students at Simle Middle School are 77% White, 9% American Indian, 7% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

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Schools in Bismarck, ND

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

About North Dakota Assessment Data: To protect student privacy, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction reports assessment results as percentage ranges rather than exact values. SchoolDigger calculates proficiency rates using midpoint imputation, which uses the center value of each reported range. For example, a reported range of 20-29% is represented as 24.5%. As a result, the proficiency rates shown may vary by approximately ±5 percentage points from actual values. This variance is most significant for individual grade/subject combinations and diminishes when data is aggregated across multiple grades or subjects.

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.