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Staples-Motley Middle School

Q: Is Staples-Motley Middle School a good school?

Staples-Motley Middle School ranks 229 th of 546 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

229^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 546 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 58% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

Staples-Motley Middle School is a public school in Staples, MN, serving 284 students in grades 5–8 as part of the Staples-Motley School District, in an area with relatively high economic need—about 51.76% of students qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025. The school is ranked 229th of 546 Minnesota middle schools for 2025–2026 (58th percentile, 3 stars), a long-term improvement from the 34th percentile in 2015–2016. Its student-teacher ratio improved from 16.6 in 2022–2023 to 14.6 in 2024–2025, better than nearby Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade (21.3) and Pillager Middle School (16.8), despite serving a higher-poverty population.

Academically, 2025–2026 proficiency rates are below state averages: math 38.3% (state 44.9%), reading 37.4% (state 48.6%), and science 12.6% (state 25.5%), with science the largest gap. Performance varies sharply by grade. Strengths include 6th grade reading (56.1%, above state) and 8th grade math (50.6%, well above state). Weaknesses include 5th grade across all subjects—math 16.2%, reading 30.9%, science 13.2%—and 7th grade reading (20.8% vs. state 43.5%). Science has fallen from 34.59% in 2022–2023 to 12.6% in 2025–2026, while reading dropped from 45.17% to 37.4% and math stayed relatively flat. Nearby, Pillager Middle School outperforms Staples-Motley in all-grades math, reading, and science, while Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade is stronger in 5th grade but weaker in 6th grade.

Subgroup results are mixed. Low-income students are a relative strength, ranking 59th percentile in 2025–2026, and special education students improved to 39th percentile. Male students rank 60th percentile, above female students at 49th. Overall, the school’s improving rank and favorable staffing are positives, but the most urgent priorities are science instruction, 5th grade foundational skills, 7th grade reading, and overall reading proficiency. Strengths to build on include 8th grade math, 6th grade reading, effectiveness with low-income students, and the long-term upward rank trend.

284

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,957

Per pupil spending ?

51.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

401 Centennial Dr
Staples, MN 56479-8888

(218) 894-5400

District: Staples-Motley School District

Students who attend Staples-Motley Middle School usually attend:

High:

Staples-Motley Senior High

Feeder schools for Staples-Motley Middle School:

Elementary:

Staples-Motley Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.1%

Two or more races:

5.6%

Hispanic:

2.1%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

Compare Staples-Motley Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Minnesota median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (33% vs 43% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 13 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg35%

Minnesota avg43%

229^th of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

237^th of 458Staples-Motley 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	25.4	691 of 870	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.3	591 of 847	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.4	560 of 853	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	54.8	229 of 546	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.3	254 of 519	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.9	291 of 545	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.0	216 of 529	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	252 of 520	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.9	291 of 521	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.8	292 of 533	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.4	253 of 518	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.3	303 of 523	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.9	333 of 508	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.6	270 of 516	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.5	304 of 490	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.5	324 of 488	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	58.2	221 of 469	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	47.1	295 of 478	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	40.7	318 of 454	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.4	268 of 409	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	41.0	285 of 403	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.0	261 of 406	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	52.6	237 of 396	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	38.2	292 of 387	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	48.0	239 of 467	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.7	221 of 450	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.4	300 of 474	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.0	235 of 455	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.3	272 of 467	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.6	324 of 443	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.1	324 of 439	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	62.1	172 of 436	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	54.2	190 of 458	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.0	191 of 432	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.6	157 of 473	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.5	108 of 459	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	53.8	166 of 404	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.6	130 of 399	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.4	222 of 415	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	71.9	86 of 401	78.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	55.7	195 of 483	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.3	244 of 452	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.3	245 of 479	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.2	179 of 464	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.6	220 of 476	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.7	216 of 437	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.8	188 of 454	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.1	264 of 438	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	38.5	181 of 296	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.7	219 of 265	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.6	187 of 307	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	161 of 298	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.9	129 of 288	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.9	144 of 260	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.0	235 of 282	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.6	147 of 253	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	317 of 435	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.4	313 of 415	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	339 of 440	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.1	270 of 436	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.6	293 of 438	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.1	342 of 422	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.3	350 of 428	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.6	322 of 428	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Male (2026)60th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile~ school

Female (2026)49th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)39th percentile-19 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math38%-7 vs state

Reading37%-11 vs state

Science13%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Staples-Motley Middle School

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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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 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 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
Staples-Motley Middle School	Public	5-8	401 Centennial Dr	Staples	56479	Wadena 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%)	54.8	229^th of 546 public middle schools	58.1%		50.3	254^th of 519 public middle schools	51.1%	25	30.9	56.1	20.8	44.0	37.4	13.2	12.0	12.6	16.2	43.9	40.3	50.6	38.3	$11,957
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%)	64.2	172^nd of 546 public middle schools	68.5%		62	174^th of 519 public middle schools	66.5%	2	57.1	56.6	54.2	45.7	53.4	31.4	10.9	21.4	38.1	58.1	43.0	31.7	42.8	$8,860
Wadena-Deer Creek 5th And 6th Grade	Public	5-6	600 Colfax Ave SW	Wadena	56482	Wadena County	Wadena-Deer Creek School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 632-2400	159	7	21.3	40.9%	136 (85.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.0%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (6.3%)								(n/a)	46.2	44.2			45.1	24.7		24.7	34.2	33.7			33.9	$6,925

Frequently Asked Questions about Staples-Motley Middle School

What district is Staples-Motley Middle School in?

Staples-Motley School District

What is the racial makeup of Staples-Motley Middle School?

Students at Staples-Motley Middle School are 90% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Staples-Motley Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 284 students attended Staples-Motley Middle School.

Is Staples-Motley Middle School a good school?

Staples-Motley Middle School ranks 229^th of 546 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Staples-Motley Middle School attend?

Students who attend Staples-Motley Middle School usually go on to attend Staples-Motley Senior High

Rate Staples-Motley Middle School!

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Schools in Staples, MN

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresNewSep 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.