RPS Online Middle School

RPS Online Middle School is a small, public virtual middle school serving grades 7-8 in the Rochester Public School District in Minnesota, with a diverse student population of just 73 students.

While RPS Online Middle School has a lower student-teacher ratio than nearby traditional middle schools like Kellogg Middle and John Adams Middle, it significantly underperforms academically. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 12.9% of students were proficient or better in MCA-III Math, compared to 41.83% for the Rochester Public School District and 45.47% for the state of Minnesota. Similarly, only 24% of students were proficient or better in MCA-III Reading, compared to 49.7% for the district and 49.85% for the state.

The school's academic struggles extend to specific student groups as well, with RPS Online Middle School ranking 438 out of 474 Minnesota middle schools for female students and 402 out of 473 for low socioeconomic status students. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 58.9% in the 2022-2023 school year, significantly higher than the district and state averages. These findings suggest that the challenges faced by virtual schools in providing a high-quality education, especially for disadvantaged student populations, may be contributing to the poor performance of RPS Online Middle School.