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Pillager Middle School

Q: Is Pillager Middle School a good school?

Pillager Middle School ranks 174 th of 519 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

174^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 519 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 66% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

Pillager Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 5-8 in Pillager, Minnesota, with 405 students. The school is part of the Pillager Public School District, which is ranked 166 out of 446 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pillager Middle School has consistently performed below the state average in both math and reading proficiency on the MCA-III tests over the past several years. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's math proficiency rate was 43.5% compared to the state average of 45.21%, and its reading proficiency rate was 51.9% compared to the state average of 49.59%. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with the school ranking in the top half of Minnesota middle schools for male students and special education students, but in the bottom half for female students and white students. Additionally, Pillager Middle School has a relatively high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 40.96% to 47.42% over the past few years, which is higher than the state average.

Compared to the nearby Motley-Staples Middle School and Forestview Middle, Pillager Middle School has lower academic proficiency rates, a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and a less favorable student-teacher ratio. These factors may be contributing to the school's declining statewide ranking, which has dropped from 220 out of 520 Minnesota middle schools in 2021-2022 to 174 out of 519 in 2024-2025. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for improving student outcomes at Pillager Middle School.

433

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,860

Per pupil spending ?

37%

Free/discounted lunch ?

323 E 2nd St S
Pillager, MN 56473-8057

(218) 746-3772

District: Pillager Public School District

Students who attend Pillager Middle School usually attend:

High:

Pillager Senior High School

Feeder schools for Pillager Middle School:

Elementary:

Pillager Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.2%

Two or more races:

5.3%

Hispanic:

3.0%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 53rd percentile in 2017 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2017

✓Above the Minnesota median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg49%

Minnesota avg47%

174^th of 519

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Top 34%▲ up 14 pts since 2017

From top 47% (2017) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

166^th of 446Pillager 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	62.0	174 of 519	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	236 of 545	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.8	264 of 529	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.8	220 of 520	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.8	301 of 521	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.3	243 of 533	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.6	289 of 518	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	56.0	246 of 523	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	58.0	179 of 450	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	245 of 474	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.1	207 of 455	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.1	240 of 467	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.0	262 of 443	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.4	162 of 439	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.1	230 of 436	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	60.9	134 of 432	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.9	236 of 473	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	192 of 459	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.1	76 of 404	81.2%	★★★★☆
2021	52.1	173 of 399	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.0	163 of 415	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.1	139 of 401	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	59.9	166 of 452	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	197 of 479	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	273 of 464	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.8	192 of 476	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.3	277 of 437	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.8	289 of 454	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	283 of 438	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	109 of 265	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.9	156 of 307	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.9	245 of 298	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.8	167 of 288	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.3	151 of 260	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.5	189 of 282	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.6	160 of 253	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	41.7	250 of 415	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	311 of 440	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	348 of 436	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.1	298 of 438	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.7	347 of 422	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.2	299 of 428	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.8	333 of 428	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)69th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)63rd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)60th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2025)59th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)40th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading52%~ state avg

Math44%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Pillager Middle School

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 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Pillager Middle School	Public	5-8	323 E 2nd St S	Pillager	56473	Cass County	Pillager Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 746-3772	433	26	16.8	37.0%	395 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.3%)	62	174^th of 519 public middle schools	66.5%		55.2	236^th of 545 public middle schools	56.7%	62	49.5	42.0	37.4	44.9	43.5	60.2	67.0	41.1	40.2	51.9	$8,860
Forestview Middle	Public	5-8	12149 Knollwood Dr	Baxter	56425	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6000	1,626	105	15.5	39.5%	1,438 (88.4%)	18 (1.1%)	38 (2.3%)	6 (0.4%)	35 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (5.6%)	69	143^rd of 519 public middle schools	72.4%		72.7	123^rd of 545 public middle schools	77.4%	20	36.1	36.3	40.3	52.8	41.4	60.5	52.7	52.2	55.3	55.1	$10,199
Middle Level Alternative Program	Public	5-8	311 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-5400	14	2	7.0	71.4%	11 (78.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)								(n/a)					6.3					46.7	$2,142
Staples-Motley Middle School	Public	5-8	401 Centennial Dr	Staples	56479	Todd County	Staples-Motley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 894-5400	284	19	14.6	51.8%	256 (90.1%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.1%)	3 (1.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.6%)	50.3	254^th of 519 public middle schools	51.1%		46.9	291^st of 545 public middle schools	46.6%	37	32.1	29.2	34.8	55.4	38.3	50.0	36.9	38.0	43.2	41.5	$11,957

Frequently Asked Questions about Pillager Middle School

Is Pillager Middle School a good school?

Pillager Middle School ranks 174^th of 519 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pillager Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 433 students attended Pillager Middle School.

What district is Pillager Middle School in?

Pillager Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Pillager Middle School?

Students at Pillager Middle School are 91% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Pillager Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pillager Middle School usually go on to attend Pillager Senior High School

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Schools in Pillager, 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.