Middle Schools in Northfield Public School District

Northfield Public School District has one middle school, Northfield Middle, serving grades 6–8 with 845 students in Northfield, Minnesota. The district is ranked 79th of 458 in Minnesota, at the 83rd percentile with 4 stars, while Northfield Middle is a 5-star school. It ranked 52nd of 546 middle schools in 2025–2026 and has earned 5 stars for three straight years.

At grade level, Northfield Middle is above the state in every reported subject: 6th, 7th, and 8th math; 6th, 7th, and 8th reading; and 8th science. Its strongest results are 8th math at 60.4% (18.1 points above the state, 3.5 points above the district) and 6th reading at 68.8% (15.4 points above the state, even with the district). Math dips to 48.4% in 7th grade before peaking in 8th. Reading declines across grades, from 68.8% in 6th to 57.4% in 7th to 55.3% in 8th. Science is the lowest absolute area at 27.4%, but still 10.7 points above the state’s 8th grade science score and 1.6 points above the district. All-grade results show the school above the state in math (53.8% vs. 44.9%), reading (60.6% vs. 48.6%), and science (27.4% vs. 25.5%), but below the district in math and science; those all-grade comparisons may be misleading because the district likely includes more grade levels.

For parents, the main takeaway: Northfield Middle is a high-performing, top-decile school with consistent 5-star ratings and grade-level proficiency above the state in every listed subject. Two trends are worth watching: all-grade math fell 4.43 points from 2024–2025, a larger decline than the district’s 0.96-point drop or the state’s 0.31-point drop, and reading proficiency is lower in 7th and 8th grade than in 6th. Science improved by 1.25 points while the district and state declined. The school’s state rank softened from 32nd of 545 and the 94th percentile in 2023–2024 to 52nd of 546 and the 90th percentile in 2025–2026, but it remains in the top 10% of Minnesota middle schools. Overall, it is a strong choice with clear strengths in 8th grade math, 6th grade reading, and 8th grade science relative to the state.