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Dakota Middle School

Q: Is Dakota Middle School a good school?

Dakota Middle School ranks 279 th of 519 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

279^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 519 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 46% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

Dakota Middle School is a public middle school located in Rochester, Minnesota, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,003 students. The school is part of the Rochester Public School District, which is ranked 197 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dakota Middle School faces several challenges, including lower academic performance compared to the district and state averages. The school's proficiency rates in MCA-III Math and Reading are consistently lower than the Rochester Public School District and the state of Minnesota. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rate in MCA-III Math for all grades was 27.18%, compared to 41.66% for the district and 45.21% for the state. Similarly, the school's proficiency rate in MCA-III Reading for all grades was 47.13%, compared to 47.78% for the district and 49.59% for the state.

Dakota Middle School's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups. Male students generally outperform female students, and Asian and Hispanic students perform better than African American and Multi-racial students. English Language Learner (ELL) and Special Education students are among the lowest-performing subgroups. Additionally, the school has a relatively high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, and its performance for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds is lower than many nearby schools, such as Plainview-Elgin-Millville Junior and Byron Middle School, which are in other districts and significantly outperform Dakota Middle School in both Math and Reading proficiency.

921

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

38.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5501 65th St NW
Rochester, MN 55901-8888

(507) 328-4530

District: Rochester Public School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.1%

African American:

18.8%

Asian:

13.9%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

Compare Dakota Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 40th percentile in 2024 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2024

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (37% vs 47% meeting standards)

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

!Math scores 18 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg45%

Minnesota avg47%

279^th of 519

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 6 pts since 2024

From bottom 40% (2024) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

197^th of 446Rochester 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	46.6	279 of 519	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	327 of 545	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	43.2	100 of 169	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	124 of 179	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	60 of 106	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.6	56 of 111	49.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	26.2	139 of 153	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	33.0	118 of 158	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	297 of 450	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	349 of 474	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	90 of 175	48.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.0	114 of 186	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	284 of 432	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.3	394 of 473	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	50.6	213 of 452	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	252 of 479	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	104 of 113	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	104 of 116	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	170 of 265	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.0	223 of 307	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	46.2	223 of 415	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.7	259 of 440	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)53rd percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)49th percentile~ school

White (2025)46th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)43rd percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)41st percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)36th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)34th percentile-12 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile-12 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)9th percentile-37 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)8th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading47%~ state avg

Math27%-18 vs state

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Schools Near Dakota 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 4th Grade	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 4th Grade	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
Dakota Middle School	Public	6-8	5501 65th St NW	Rochester	55901	Olmsted County	Rochester Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(507) 328-4530	921	0	18.1	38.1%	452 (49.1%)	173 (18.8%)	80 (8.7%)	128 (13.9%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (9.0%)	46.6	279^th of 519 public middle schools	46.2%		41.4	327^th of 545 public middle schools	40.0%	48			27.3	27.1	27.2	27.2			49.7	48.3	43.6	47.1
John Adams Middle School	Public	6-8	1525 31st St NW	Rochester	55901	Olmsted County	Rochester Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 328-5700	867	0	19.4	37.4%	460 (53.1%)	152 (17.5%)	96 (11.1%)	87 (10.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	69 (8.0%)	45.4	285^th of 519 public middle schools	45.1%		63.2	173^rd of 545 public middle schools	68.3%	112			25.5	32.0	30.9	29.5			41.5	44.7	45.5	43.9	$11,895
Kellogg Middle School	Public	6-8	503 17th St NE	Rochester	55906	Olmsted County	Rochester Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 328-5800	769	0	17.8	40.6%	423 (55.0%)	121 (15.7%)	106 (13.8%)	48 (6.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	69 (9.0%)	55.8	217^th of 519 public middle schools	58.2%		54.1	241^st of 545 public middle schools	55.8%	24			33.5	33.6	43.6	36.9			43.9	44.4	51.7	46.6	$12,077
Byron Middle School	Public	6-8	601 4th St NW	Byron	55920	Olmsted County	Byron Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 775-2189	577	32	17.9	14.2%	508 (88.0%)	5 (0.9%)	25 (4.3%)	14 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.0%)	87.8	38^th of 519 public middle schools	92.7%		84	57^th of 545 public middle schools	89.5%	19			55.9	56.6	51.6	54.7			81.2	60.6	58.1	67.1	$10,272
Middle School Alternative Learning Center	Public	6-8	1200 Broadway Ave S	Rochester	55904	Olmsted County	Rochester Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(507) 328-5650	31	0		61.3%	20 (64.5%)	4 (12.9%)	3 (9.7%)	1 (3.2%)	1 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.5%)								(n/a)			0.0	0.0		0.0			7.7	9.1	16.7	11.1
Pine Island Middle	Public	5-8	223 1st Ave SE	Pine Island	55963	Goodhue County	Pine Island Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 356-4849	464	31	15.1	18.1%	416 (89.7%)	11 (2.4%)	24 (5.2%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.7%)	75.2	105^th of 519 public middle schools	79.8%		70.9	137^th of 545 public middle schools	74.9%	32		47.3	47.1	48.6	47.6	47.7		67.9	59.8	50.0	55.3	57.8	$9,488
Willow Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	2425 11th Ave SE	Rochester	55904	Olmsted County	Rochester Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 328-5900	864	0	17.5	35.5%	484 (56.0%)	84 (9.7%)	171 (19.8%)	58 (6.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (7.3%)	50.4	252^nd of 519 public middle schools	51.4%		44.4	308^th of 545 public middle schools	43.5%	56			37.9	29.3	40.4	35.9			49.7	34.4	44.4	43.0	$12,038
Kasson-Mantorville Middle School	Public	5-8	1400 5th Ave NE	Kasson	55944	Dodge County	Kasson-Mantorville School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 634-4030	685	40	17.2	21.8%	597 (87.2%)	9 (1.3%)	41 (6.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.0%)	80.9	72^nd of 519 public middle schools	86.1%		87.6	41^st of 545 public middle schools	92.5%	31		52.3	50.0	52.0	47.5	50.4		64.3	68.5	51.7	60.1	61.0	$8,392
Plainview-Elgin-Millville 4-6	Public	4-6	210 2nd St SW	Elgin	55932	Wabasha County	Plainview-Elgin-Millville	No	No	No	No	(507) 876-2213	315	20	15.9	34.6%	275 (87.3%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (9.2%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.2%)								(n/a)	60.9	54.5	46.0			53.3	51.1	58.4	54.1			54.6	$8,397
Plainview-Elgin-Millville Junior	Public	7-8	70 1st St SE	Elgin	55932	Wabasha County	Plainview-Elgin-Millville	No	No	No	No	(507) 876-2521	235	13	18.0	37.4%	200 (85.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (11.5%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	79.1	82^nd of 519 public middle schools	84.2%		76	98^th of 545 public middle schools	82.0%	16				43.4	59.8	52.5				55.6	51.6	53.4	$8,656

Frequently Asked Questions about Dakota Middle School

How many students attend Dakota Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 921 students attended Dakota Middle School.

Is Dakota Middle School a good school?

Dakota Middle School ranks 279^th of 519 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dakota Middle School?

Students at Dakota Middle School are 49% White, 19% African American, 14% Asian, 9% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic.

What district is Dakota Middle School in?

Rochester Public School District

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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.