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Jackson County Central Middle

Q: Is Jackson County Central Middle a good school?

Jackson County Central Middle ranks 131 st of 546 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

131^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 546 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 76% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

Jackson County Central Middle is a grades 6–8 school in Lakefield, Minnesota, enrolling 241 students as part of the Jackson County Central School District. It sits between its two nearest middle-school neighbors in size — larger than Round Lake-Brewster Middle School (118 students) but smaller than Windom Middle (359 students) — and its free/reduced lunch rate of 38.17% in 2024–2025 is lower than both. Its student–teacher ratio of 16 is higher than Windom's 14.1 and Round Lake-Brewster's 11.1, meaning larger classes.

In 2025–2026, the school ranked 131st of 546 Minnesota middle schools (76th percentile, 4 stars), the best showing in its available history and a jump from 60th percentile the year before. That is well ahead of Windom Middle (30th percentile, 2 stars) and Round Lake-Brewster Middle (24th percentile, 1 star), and it even outranks its own Jackson County Central School District (65th percentile). Nearby districts trail further: Windom Public School District is in the 34th percentile and Round Lake-Brewster Public Schools in the 27th. Math is the clearest engine of that success: 59% of students were proficient, versus 44.9% statewide, 23.9% at Windom Middle and 17.7% at Round Lake-Brewster Middle. Sixth-grade math reached 65.6%, and every tested grade beat the state.

Reading is mixed: at 47.4%, the school trails the state (48.6%) and its district (48.7%) slightly but leads both nearby middle schools. Sixth-grade reading (56.3%) is above the state, while 7th and 8th grade lag. Science is the clear weak spot — 9.1% proficient, far below the state's 25.5% and its 16.7% eighth-grade rate, and down sharply from 25.4% in 2023–2024, though part of that reflects a change in the state exam. At 8th grade it is still the top performer among the three nearby schools, but all three fall well short of the state. Subgroup results are encouraging: students from low-income families rank in the 79th percentile, male students in the 80th, and special education students have climbed from 1 star to 3 stars. Overall, this is a strong, improving school whose main priority is science.

241

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,848

Per pupil spending ?

38.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

703 Mill Road E
Lakefield, MN 56150-1289

(507) 662-6625

District: Jackson County Central School District

Students who attend Jackson County Central Middle usually attend:

High:

Jackson County Central Senior High

Feeder schools for Jackson County Central Middle:

Elementary:	Pleasantview Elementary
	Riverside Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.2%

Hispanic:

7.1%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

Compare Jackson County Central Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 69th percentile in 2016 → 76th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranks in the top 24% of Minnesota middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 16 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg45%

Minnesota avg43%

131^st of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From top 31% (2016) to top 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

160^th of 458Jackson County Central School District among Minnesota 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	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	68.7	131 of 546	76.0%	★★★★☆
2025	57.4	206 of 519	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.1	182 of 545	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.3	192 of 529	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.4	221 of 520	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.0	268 of 521	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.1	261 of 533	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.8	273 of 518	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	60.1	217 of 523	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	66.7	160 of 508	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	40.8	328 of 516	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.1	313 of 490	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	56.9	207 of 488	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	73.0	104 of 469	77.8%	★★★★☆
2011	68.1	124 of 478	74.1%	★★★★☆
2010	63.2	173 of 454	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.5	190 of 409	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	55.3	203 of 403	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.5	209 of 406	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	72.3	107 of 396	73.0%	★★★★☆
2004	68.0	147 of 387	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	59.1	177 of 467	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.9	180 of 450	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.0	145 of 474	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	186 of 455	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.2	203 of 467	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.0	243 of 443	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.9	288 of 439	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.8	309 of 436	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	67.4	98 of 458	78.6%	★★★★☆
2025	57.7	158 of 432	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.5	113 of 473	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	55.6	175 of 459	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.8	137 of 404	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.5	143 of 399	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.4	263 of 415	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.0	203 of 401	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	72.8	98 of 483	79.7%	★★★★☆
2025	50.2	218 of 452	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.1	200 of 479	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	170 of 464	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.4	223 of 476	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.0	245 of 437	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.1	191 of 454	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.8	171 of 438	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	143 of 296	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	26.0	216 of 265	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	240 of 307	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.0	154 of 298	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.0	149 of 288	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.1	143 of 260	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.5	60 of 282	78.7%	★★★★☆
2018	44.3	137 of 253	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	56.1	170 of 435	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.6	252 of 415	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	274 of 440	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	229 of 436	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	245 of 438	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.8	299 of 422	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.9	286 of 428	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.1	305 of 428	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)80th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)79th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)62nd percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)61st percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2026)52nd percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math59%+14 vs state

Reading47%~ state avg

Science9%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jackson County Central Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)					MCA-IV Science (2026)			MCA-III Math (2026)					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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
Jackson County Central Middle	Public	6-8	703 Mill Road E	Lakefield	56150	Jackson County	Jackson County Central School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 662-6625	241	15	16.0	38.2%	198 (82.2%)	6 (2.5%)	17 (7.1%)	5 (2.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.8%)	68.7	131^st of 546 public middle schools	76.0%		57.4	206^th of 519 public middle schools	60.3%	75		56.3	41.0	46.3	47.4		9.1	9.1		65.6	59.0	52.9	59.0	$10,848
SWWC Alternative Learning Center Midlevel - Windom	Public	7-8	1454 6th Ave	Windom	56101	Cottonwood County	Region 6 and 8-SW/Wc Service Coop	No	No	No	No	(507) 360-1876	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Windom Middle	Public	5-8	1400 17th St	Windom	56101	Cottonwood County	Windom Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 831-6910	359	25	14.1	49.6%	209 (58.2%)	8 (2.2%)	101 (28.1%)	10 (2.8%)	2 (0.6%)	12 (3.3%)	17 (4.7%)	33	384^th of 546 public middle schools	29.7%		32.3	379^th of 519 public middle schools	27.0%	5	47.9	45.8	39.0	35.1	42.0	19.1	6.2	12.6	25.5	20.8	21.0	27.8	23.9	$12,052
Round Lake-Brewster Middle School	Public	6-8	915 4th Ave	Brewster	56119	Nobles County	Round Lake-Brewster Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 842-5951	118	11	11.1	70.3%	24 (20.3%)	1 (0.8%)	86 (72.9%)	5 (4.2%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	26.3	417^th of 546 public middle schools	23.6%		29.4	394^th of 519 public middle schools	24.1%	23		40.0	31.0	38.6	37.4		6.8	6.8		14.0	17.2	22.2	17.7	$6,999

Frequently Asked Questions about Jackson County Central Middle

How many students attend Jackson County Central Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 241 students attended Jackson County Central Middle.

What district is Jackson County Central Middle in?

Jackson County Central School District

What is the racial makeup of Jackson County Central Middle?

Students at Jackson County Central Middle are 82% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

Is Jackson County Central Middle a good school?

Jackson County Central Middle ranks 131^st of 546 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Jackson County Central Middle attend?

Students who attend Jackson County Central Middle usually go on to attend Jackson County Central Senior High

Rate Jackson County Central Middle!

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Schools in Lakefield, MN

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

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