Chippewa Middle School

Chippewa Middle School is a grades 6–8 school in No Oaks, MN (55126) serving 1,093 students in the Mounds View Public School District — the largest of the district's three middle schools, with a comparatively affluent student body (15.2% free/reduced lunch). In 2025–2026 it ranks 18th of 546 Minnesota middle schools (97th percentile, 5 stars), and it has earned 5 stars in each of the last ten reported years, never falling out of the top 4% of the state.

The school leads every nearby comparable in all three tested subjects: 61.6% proficient in math, 68.6% in reading, and 34.1% in science — about 8 points ahead of Central Middle in math, and roughly 17 and 20 points above state averages in math and reading. Notably, Chippewa outperforms Gentry Academy Middle, a charter school with a much lower poverty rate, by more than 22 points in reading and nearly 26 in science. Within its own district, Chippewa sits 24 percentile points above Highview Middle School and 36 above Edgewood Middle School, while carrying a heavier class load (19.5 students per teacher) than either. Results are consistently strong across student groups, from 97th percentile for female students to the low 80s for low-income students.

A few items are worth watching. Math proficiency has softened over three years, from 65.9% to 62.8% to 61.6%, though the school's rank has held steady. Seventh grade is the relative weak spot, posting the lowest math and reading scores in the building, while 8th-grade math and 6th-grade reading are strongest. The sharp science drop reflects a statewide test change rather than a school problem — Chippewa's gap above the state has held or improved. English language learners dipped to 1 star in 2023–24 but rebounded to 5 stars the following year.