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South Junior High

Public Grades 6-8

418^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 546 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 23% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

South Junior High is a grade 6–8 middle school in Saint Cloud, MN, serving 831 students in the St. Cloud Public School District. It is a relatively large middle school for the area—larger than North Junior High and several surrounding schools—and serves a high-poverty population: 64.02% free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025, down from 72.9% in 2022–2023. Its student-teacher ratio improved to 15.8 in 2024–2025, which is favorable compared with most nearby comprehensive middle schools.

South is rated 1 star in 2025–2026 and ranked 418 of 546 middle schools, at the 23rd percentile, inside a district ranked 363 of 458. Reading is its relative strength: 33.1% proficiency, above the district’s 31.0% and North Junior High’s 27.4%, but still below the state’s 48.6%. Math is 22.0%, below the district’s 24.9% and the state’s 44.9%. Science is the clearest weakness at 6.0%, far below the district’s 14.8% and the state’s 25.5%. Nearby schools generally outperform South across all three subjects, including Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School at 27.1% math, 40.7% reading, and 9.9% science; Sartell Middle at 70.3%, 64.2%, and 26.4%; and Becker Middle, Annandale Middle School, Foley Intermediate Elementary, and Rocori Middle, which also post higher results.

Recent trends are concerning. South’s rank percentile fell from 33 in 2023–2024 to 25 in 2024–2025 and 23 in 2025–2026. Reading slipped from about 37% to 33.1%, while science dropped from 22.57% to 10.6% to 6.0%. Math has stayed nearly flat around 22–23.5%. High poverty explains some challenges, but not all: St. Cloud Math & Science Middle has 100% free/reduced lunch and still higher math and science proficiency. The favorable student-teacher ratio also has not translated into stronger outcomes. Some groups, including English learners and students experiencing homelessness, show relatively stronger results, while low-income and special education students rank lower. Overall, South is stronger than North Junior High but remains in the bottom quartile and behind most surrounding middle schools.

831

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,481

Per pupil spending ?

64.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

1120 15th Ave S
Saint Cloud, MN 56301-5405

(320) 370-7230

District: St. Cloud Public School District

Students who attend South Junior High usually attend:

High:

Technical Senior High

Feeder schools for South Junior High:

Elementary:	Clearview Elementary
	Discovery Community Elementary
	Oak Hill Community Elementary
	Talahi Community Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.5%

African American:

38.6%

Hispanic:

8.7%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

Compare South Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 25th percentile in 2016 → 23rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (25% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Math scores 23 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg26%

Minnesota avg43%

418^th of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the St. Cloud Public School District

363^rd of 458St. Cloud 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
2026	26.1	418 of 546	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.6	388 of 519	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.4	363 of 545	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	375 of 529	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.3	331 of 520	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.8	365 of 521	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.1	396 of 533	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.8	406 of 518	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.6	381 of 523	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.7	379 of 508	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	45.8	297 of 516	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	48.4	273 of 490	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	60.1	188 of 488	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.9	225 of 469	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.0	194 of 478	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.1	170 of 454	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.3	184 of 409	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.8	146 of 403	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	69.5	106 of 406	73.9%	★★★★☆
2005	56.4	218 of 396	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	69.9	131 of 387	66.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	146 of 185	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.4	129 of 169	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	137 of 179	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	132 of 164	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.5	107 of 162	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.7	112 of 141	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.4	121 of 148	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	119 of 137	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	41.2	95 of 170	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.5	98 of 153	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.7	69 of 158	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.2	67 of 133	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.6	35 of 130	73.1%	★★★★☆
2021	49.9	40 of 102	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.3	92 of 120	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.4	70 of 109	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	24.7	366 of 467	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.6	329 of 450	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.0	327 of 474	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	332 of 455	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.0	313 of 467	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.3	303 of 443	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.9	367 of 439	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.5	380 of 436	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	23.5	163 of 195	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.4	149 of 175	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.4	137 of 186	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.0	140 of 178	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.5	93 of 188	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.9	27 of 156	82.7%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	26 of 171	84.8%	★★★★☆
2018	37.8	100 of 163	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	63.1	6 of 28	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	64.6	5 of 30	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	56.2	6 of 20	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	29.1	13 of 19	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	379 of 458	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.9	335 of 432	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	375 of 473	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	338 of 459	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.0	281 of 404	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.8	315 of 399	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	356 of 415	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.8	360 of 401	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	391 of 483	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.5	359 of 452	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	365 of 479	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	339 of 464	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.4	326 of 476	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.1	333 of 437	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.0	322 of 454	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	345 of 438	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	23.5	105 of 124	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.0	105 of 113	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	99 of 116	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	94 of 107	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	116 of 131	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	91 of 97	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	114 of 120	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.3	111 of 114	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	68.1	13 of 49	73.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	27.3	242 of 296	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	211 of 265	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	230 of 307	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	173 of 298	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.2	116 of 288	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.1	111 of 260	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.8	180 of 282	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	203 of 253	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	40.1	269 of 435	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.0	211 of 415	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.0	176 of 440	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.5	151 of 436	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.6	105 of 438	76.0%	★★★★☆
2021	55.3	163 of 422	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.7	137 of 428	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.5	138 of 428	67.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)79th percentile+53 vs school

Native American (2023)73rd percentile+44 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)44th percentile+21 vs school

White (2026)38th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)22nd percentile~ school

African American (2026)21st percentile~ school

Male (2026)19th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)18th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)16th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)15th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading33%-16 vs state

Math22%-23 vs state

Science6%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Junior High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)						MCA-IV Science (2026)			MCA-III Math (2026)						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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	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	Total
South Junior High	Public	6-8	1120 15th Ave S	Saint Cloud	56301	Stearns County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 370-7230	831	52	15.8	64.0%	345 (41.5%)	321 (38.6%)	72 (8.7%)	26 (3.1%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	62 (7.5%)	26.1	418^th of 546 public middle schools	23.4%		30.6	388^th of 519 public middle schools	25.2%	30			32.8	32.4	34.4	33.1		6.0	6.0			20.5	24.6	21.3	22.0	$12,481
Success Academy St. Cloud - Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	809 12th St N	Saint Cloud	56303	Stearns County	Success Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(320) 640-3525	46	3	15.3	93.5%	0 (0.0%)	45 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.2%)	3.7	544^th of 546 public middle schools	0.4%					(n/a)			12.5	0.0		9.7						6.3	0.0		9.7
North Junior High	Public	6-8	1212 29th Ave N	Saint Cloud	56303	Stearns County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 370-7000	720	45	16.0	71.9%	216 (30.0%)	275 (38.2%)	118 (16.4%)	31 (4.3%)	6 (0.8%)	5 (0.7%)	69 (9.6%)	21.8	443^rd of 546 public middle schools	18.9%		20	431^st of 519 public middle schools	17.0%	12			29.9	25.3	27.2	27.4		7.9	7.9			23.6	21.3	16.9	20.7	$12,962
St. Cloud Math & Science Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	1025 18th St N	Saint Cloud	56303	Stearns County	Saint Cloud Math and Science Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(320) 774-2201	91	7	12.7	—	0 (0.0%)	91 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.8	395^th of 546 public middle schools	27.7%		25.1	412^th of 519 public middle schools	20.6%	17			34.1	20.0	35.9	30.5		12.5	12.5			31.8	25.7	25.0	27.7
STRIDE Academy Middle	Public, Charter	5-8	3701 33rd St S	Saint Cloud	56301	Stearns County	STRIDE Academy	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(320) 230-5340	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	8.2	513^th of 546 public middle schools	6.0%					(n/a)		28.8	23.7	17.0	21.3	23.1	5.9	1.4	4.0		15.5	3.1	11.2	1.3	8.2
Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School	Public	6-8	901 1st St S	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(320) 654-9073	1,055	54	19.6	32.8%	863 (81.8%)	44 (4.2%)	65 (6.2%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (7.2%)	39.3	342^nd of 546 public middle schools	37.4%		42	312^th of 519 public middle schools	39.9%	30			45.2	36.0	41.2	40.7		9.9	9.9			24.1	35.3	21.5	27.1	$10,864
Sartell Middle	Public	6-8	748 7th Street North	Sartell	56377	Stearns County	Sartell-St. Stephen School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 656-3710	983	57	17.1	19.9%	834 (84.8%)	32 (3.3%)	42 (4.3%)	31 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (4.5%)	92	25^th of 546 public middle schools	95.4%		92.6	21^st of 519 public middle schools	96.0%	4			62.9	62.8	66.9	64.2		26.4	26.4			61.8	73.3	76.0	70.3	$8,972
Rocori Middle	Public	6-8	534 N 5th Ave	Cold Spring	56320	Stearns County	Rocori Public School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 685-8683	563	31	18.0	25.2%	445 (79.0%)	6 (1.1%)	93 (16.5%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.3%)	67.6	143^rd of 546 public middle schools	73.8%		63.1	169^th of 519 public middle schools	67.4%	26			62.4	41.0	43.5	48.4		13.4	13.4			48.3	49.5	52.1	49.9	$9,426
Foley Intermediate Elementary	Public	4-8	840 Norman Ave N	Foley	56329	Benton County	Foley Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 968-6251	781	47	16.4	28.6%	746 (95.5%)	8 (1.0%)	10 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.7%)	67.7	142^nd of 546 public middle schools	74.0%		73.3	120^th of 519 public middle schools	76.9%	22	66.7	44.2	50.0	41.0	52.5	50.1	14.4	20.9	17.5	70.6	49.7	41.3	58.5	39.7	51.5	$9,681
Becker Middle	Public	6-8	13725 Bradley Blvd	Becker	55308	Sherburne County	Becker Public School District	No	No	No	No	(763) 261-6300	656	35	18.5	21.6%	596 (90.9%)	8 (1.2%)	20 (3.0%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.7%)	74.1	103^rd of 546 public middle schools	81.1%		71.6	129^th of 519 public middle schools	75.1%	26			54.1	47.3	55.3	52.2		20.1	20.1			46.7	44.7	59.0	50.0	$10,831

Frequently Asked Questions about South Junior High

What high school do graduates of South Junior High attend?

Students who attend South Junior High usually go on to attend Technical Senior High

What is the racial makeup of South Junior High?

Students at South Junior High are 42% White, 39% African American, 9% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is South Junior High in?

St. Cloud Public School District

How many students attend South Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 831 students attended South Junior High.

Is South Junior High a good school?

South Junior High ranks in the bottom 23.4% of Minnesota middle schools.

Rate South Junior High!

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

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.