Summary
Hill City Middle School is a small rural middle school in Hill City, MN, serving grades 5–8 with 83 students in the Hill City Public School District. In 2025–2026, it ranked 503rd of 546 Minnesota schools—the 8th percentile with 0 stars—the lowest point in its shown history and a drop from 1 star and higher percentiles in most recent years. The district itself ranks 386th of 458 districts statewide. Parents should know this is a very small school with recent statewide results near the bottom, and its current performance is below its own district averages in every tested subject: math, reading, and science.
Compared with nearby schools, the gaps are large. Robert J. Elkington Middle School, in the Grand Rapids Public School District, is about 17.85 miles away, serves 764 students in grades 6–8, and ranks 185th of 546 (66th percentile, 3 stars) in 2025–2026. Hill City Middle School’s all-grade proficiency is 6.3% in math, 26.3% in reading, and 5.4% in science, while Robert J. Elkington Middle School scores 39.7%, 52.8%, and 12.9%. Middle Area Learning Center, also in Grand Rapids, has 54 students in grades 5–8, but its 2025–2026 scores are suppressed, so a fair achievement comparison is not possible. Hill City Middle School also has a higher free/reduced lunch rate (55.42% in 2024–25) and a higher student–teacher ratio (20.6) than Robert J. Elkington Middle School.
Within Hill City Middle School, grade-level results vary: 5th grade reading is the strongest relative result at 42.9%, but 8th grade math and science are both 0%, and all-grade math and science are severe concerns. Math has fallen sharply from 28.57% in 2022–23 to 6.3% in 2025–26, and reading, while comparatively stronger, remains well below the state’s 48.6%. Subgroup effectiveness rankings are low across the board in 2025–2026, with no major subgroup above the bottom quartile, suggesting a school-wide challenge rather than one isolated issue. The most urgent priorities appear to be math and science, especially in 8th grade, while reading still needs improvement to reach state averages.
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