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Denison Middle School

Q: Is Denison Middle School a good school?

Denison Middle School ranks 141 st of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

141^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 344 Iowa Middle Schools

Better than 59% of Iowa middle schools

Summary

Denison Middle School is a public middle school serving 490 students in grades 6-8 in Denison, Iowa. The school is part of the Denison Community School District, which is ranked 168 out of 313 school districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Denison Middle School consistently outperforms the state average in ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, 89.7% of 8th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 80.2%. In Mathematics, 86.1% of 8th graders were proficient or better, compared to the state average of 74.4%. However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 10.3% in 2020-2021 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Denison Middle School serves a population with significant socioeconomic challenges, with a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 53.03% to 66.53% over the past few years. This is notably higher than the nearby IKM-Manning Middle School (34.26%) and Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Middle School (44.28%). Despite these challenges, Denison Middle School spends $11,728 per student, which is higher than the nearby IKM-Manning Middle School ($9,934) and Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Middle School ($11,124).

502

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,728

Per pupil spending ?

70.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1201 North 16th Street
Denison, IA 51442

(712) 263-9393

District: Denison Community School District

Students who attend Denison Middle School usually attend:

High:

Denison High School

Feeder schools for Denison Middle School:

Elementary:	Broadway Elementary School
	Denison Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.9%

White:

26.5%

African American:

4.2%

See top rated Iowa middle schools

Compare Denison Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2015 → 59th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Iowa median (59th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school79%

District avg79%

Iowa avg74%

141^st of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Top 41%▲ up 25 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to top 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

168^th of 313Denison 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	60.0	141 of 344	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.4	174 of 337	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.9	125 of 334	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.0	146 of 337	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.5	200 of 324	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.9	218 of 342	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.5	206 of 318	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.0	204 of 327	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.1	232 of 343	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.3	230 of 349	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.7	227 of 337	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.4	224 of 350	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.3	239 of 349	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science80%+10 vs state

English Language Arts80%+4 vs state

Mathematics77%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Denison 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 4th Grade	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 4th 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
Denison Middle School	Public	6-8	1201 North 16th Street	Denison	51442	Crawford County	Denison Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 263-9393	502	34	14.8	70.1%	133 (26.5%)	21 (4.2%)	331 (65.9%)	14 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	60	141^st of 344 public middle schools	59.0%		54.4	174^th of 337 public middle schools	48.4%	33			75.0	74.5	89.7			80.9	63.7	86.1		80.0	$11,728	$298	$11,430
Schleswig Middle School	Public	5-8	714 Date Street	Schleswig	51461	Crawford County	Schleswig Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 676-3313	51	4	12.3	43.1%	41 (80.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (17.6%)	1 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37.7	256^th of 344 public middle schools	25.6%		32.2	262^nd of 337 public middle schools	22.3%	6		76.5		60.0	70.0		58.8		80.0	60.0	70.6	80.0	$14,627	$508	$14,119
Charter Oak-Ute Junior High School	Public	6-8	321 Main St	Charter Oak	51439	Crawford County	Charter Oak-Ute Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 678-3325	49	3	19.6	57.1%	43 (87.8%)	1 (2.0%)	5 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50.8	197^th of 344 public middle schools	42.7%		19.3	297^th of 337 public middle schools	11.9%	100			80.0	68.4	78.6			86.7	63.2	78.6		78.6	$18,890	$45	$18,845
IKM-Manning Middle School	Public	4-8	209 10th St	Manning	51455	Carroll County	IKM-Manning Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 655-3781	297	15	20.2	33.3%	277 (93.3%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	68.6	92^nd of 344 public middle schools	73.3%		73	70^th of 337 public middle schools	79.2%	22	88.0	71.9	85.7	71.7	86.7	86.0	93.0	92.9	79.2	82.2	71.9	80.0	$9,934	$438	$9,496
Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	600 S. Maple	Odebolt	51458	Sac County	Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Community School Dist	No	(n/a)	No	No	(712) 364-6066	186	14	12.8	43.0%	173 (93.0%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	40.8	248^th of 344 public middle schools	27.9%					(n/a)			71.6	81.0	72.7			67.2	67.2	72.7		70.9	$11,124	$144	$10,980

Frequently Asked Questions about Denison Middle School

How many students attend Denison Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 502 students attended Denison Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Denison Middle School?

Students at Denison Middle School are 66% Hispanic, 26% White, 4% African American, 3% Asian.

Is Denison Middle School a good school?

Denison Middle School ranks 141^st of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Denison Middle School attend?

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

What district is Denison Middle School in?

Denison Community School District

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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.