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Southwest Middle

Public Grades 6-7

421^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 519 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 19% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

Southwest Middle School is a public middle school located in Albert Lea, Minnesota, serving grades 6-7 with a total enrollment of 455 students. The school is part of the Albert Lea Public School District, which is ranked 327 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southwest Middle School's academic performance, as measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA-III), is significantly below the state and district averages in both math and reading proficiency. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 17.62% of all students at Southwest Middle were proficient or better in math, compared to 45.21% statewide and 27.75% in the Albert Lea Public School District. In reading, 33.95% of all students at Southwest Middle were proficient or better, compared to 49.59% statewide and 37.4% in the district. The school's performance has been consistently low, with its statewide ranking among Minnesota middle schools declining from 298 out of 523 in 2016-2017 to 421 out of 519 in 2024-2025.

Southwest Middle School has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 60.44% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. The school's ranking among Minnesota middle schools for low-socioeconomic status students was 366 out of 432 in 2024-2025, with 1 out of 5 SchoolDigger stars. Despite the school's relatively low student-teacher ratio of 13.8 students per teacher in the 2023-2024 school year, the academic performance of Southwest Middle School remains a concern, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and strategies to improve student outcomes.

486

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,277

Per pupil spending ?

58.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1601 W Front St
Albert Lea, MN 56007-1812

(507) 379-5240

District: Albert Lea Public School District

Students who attend Southwest Middle usually attend:

High:

Albert Lea Senior High

Feeder schools for Southwest Middle:

Elementary:	Halverson Elementary
	Hawthorne Elementary
	Lakeview Elementary
	Sibley Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.1%

Hispanic:

26.7%

Asian:

12.1%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 36th percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (26% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg33%

Minnesota avg47%

421^st of 519

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

327^th of 446Albert Lea Public 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
2025	22.3	421 of 519	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	409 of 545	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.5	367 of 529	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	340 of 520	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.7	396 of 521	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	362 of 533	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.7	323 of 518	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.8	298 of 523	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.6	361 of 508	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	40.6	330 of 516	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.3	312 of 490	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	51.2	256 of 488	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.1	299 of 469	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.4	302 of 478	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.5	269 of 454	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	62.7	89 of 230	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.6	122 of 409	70.2%	★★★★☆
2007	68.6	119 of 403	70.5%	★★★★☆
2006	58.3	198 of 406	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	47.0	272 of 396	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	51.1	236 of 387	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	98 of 106	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	85 of 111	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	91 of 116	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.2	90 of 110	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.9	67 of 87	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.2	78 of 112	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.5	82 of 108	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	147 of 153	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	132 of 158	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.0	79 of 133	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.1	116 of 130	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.7	95 of 102	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	103 of 120	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	19.7	380 of 450	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.5	374 of 474	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.9	321 of 455	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.7	315 of 467	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.7	344 of 443	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	339 of 439	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.1	266 of 436	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	162 of 175	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	158 of 186	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	120 of 178	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	129 of 188	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.6	130 of 156	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.6	153 of 171	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.9	86 of 163	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	366 of 432	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	384 of 473	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.7	299 of 459	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	253 of 404	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.2	292 of 399	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.0	301 of 415	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.6	238 of 401	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	20.5	380 of 452	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	376 of 479	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	331 of 464	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.6	334 of 476	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.9	343 of 437	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	316 of 454	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.3	302 of 438	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	18.4	243 of 265	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	259 of 307	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.4	178 of 298	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.1	187 of 288	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.9	161 of 260	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.4	225 of 282	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.6	174 of 253	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	23.8	351 of 415	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	344 of 440	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	312 of 436	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	284 of 438	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.3	367 of 422	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	328 of 428	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.4	299 of 428	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2025)16th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)16th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)15th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)15th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)8th percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2025)8th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)4th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading34%-16 vs state

Math18%-28 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Friday, September 10, 2021

The teachers really like to waste time and we were forced to do a lot of babish things. This school also had a ton of bullying and fighting Close Quote

Schools Near Southwest Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)			MCA-III Reading (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	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Southwest Middle	Public	6-7	1601 W Front St	Albert Lea	56007	Freeborn County	Albert Lea Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 379-5240	486	34	14.3	58.2%	258 (53.1%)	19 (3.9%)	130 (26.7%)	59 (12.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.7%)	22.3	421^st of 519 public middle schools	18.9%		29.5	409^th of 545 public middle schools	25.0%	12	15.1	20.3	17.6	40.1	27.4	34.0	$13,277

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Middle

What district is Southwest Middle in?

Albert Lea Public School District

How many students attend Southwest Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 486 students attended Southwest Middle.

What high school do graduates of Southwest Middle attend?

Students who attend Southwest Middle usually go on to attend Albert Lea Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Middle?

Students at Southwest Middle are 53% White, 27% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 4% African American, 4% Two or more races.

Is Southwest Middle a good school?

Southwest Middle ranks in the bottom 18.9% of Minnesota middle schools.

Rate Southwest Middle!

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Schools in Albert Lea, MN

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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.