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Friendly Hills Middle

Q: Is Friendly Hills Middle a good school?

Friendly Hills Middle ranks 121 st of 546 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

121^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 546 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 78% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

Friendly Hills Middle is a grades 5–8 school serving 785 students in Mendota Heights, MN, part of the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan district. Its trajectory is notably positive: its percentile rank climbed from 48th (2 stars) in 2021–2022 to 78th (4 stars) in 2025–2026 — a 30-point gain that ranks it 121st of 546 Minnesota middle schools and puts it within striking distance of its 2015–2016 high of 80th percentile.

Reading is the clearest strength at 53.0% proficiency, above the district (50.5%) and state (48.6%), with 8th grade especially strong at 60.8%. Math sits at 43.0%, slightly below the 44.9% district/state figure, though grade-level scores beat district averages in every tested grade. Science is 24.1% and has swung widely — 43.95% in 2023–2024, 21.8% in 2024–2025, 24.1% in 2025–2026 — yet 8th grade science (22.8%) is well above the state's 16.7%. Among nearby schools, Dakota Hills Middle (96th percentile, 60.2% math) and Black Hawk Middle (84th percentile) rank higher, while Friendly Hills outranks same-district Heritage E-Stem Magnet School (58th percentile, 29.9% math) and Highland Park Middle School (57th percentile).

Subgroup results are mixed. White students (89th percentile), Special Education students (89th), English Language Learner students (72nd), and male students (77th) rank at or near the top tier. Low Socio Economic Status students (54th percentile), Hispanic students (43rd), and African American students (63rd, down from 79th) trail the school's overall 78th percentile — a measurable equity gap. With a moderate 41.15% free/reduced lunch rate and a 17.4 student-teacher ratio, Friendly Hills posts strong results compared with most higher-poverty nearby schools. Overall, it is an improving, upper-quartile school, the strongest in its district, with reading as a standout and math and science consistency plus subgroup gaps as the next priorities.

785

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,047

Per pupil spending ?

41.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

701 Mendota Heights Rd
Mendota Heights, MN 55120-1681

(651) 403-7600

District: West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan

Students who attend Friendly Hills Middle usually attend:

High:

Two Rivers High School

Feeder schools for Friendly Hills Middle:

Elementary:	Mendota Elementary
	Pilot Knob Stem Magnet School

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.4%

Hispanic:

24.5%

African American:

12.7%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

Compare Friendly Hills Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 80th percentile in 2016 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranks in the top 22% of Minnesota middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg44%

Minnesota avg43%

121^st of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Top 22%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan

134^th of 458West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan 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	70.6	121 of 546	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	70.6	133 of 519	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	67.7	153 of 545	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	55.9	217 of 529	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.1	271 of 520	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.2	152 of 521	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	66.1	161 of 533	69.8%	★★★★☆
2018	66.2	164 of 518	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	67.2	160 of 523	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	74.5	101 of 508	80.1%	★★★★☆
2015	75.4	101 of 516	80.4%	★★★★☆
2014	63.8	178 of 490	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	70.3	131 of 488	73.2%	★★★★☆
2012	63.2	184 of 469	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.3	158 of 478	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.2	144 of 454	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.9	81 of 230	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.5	107 of 409	73.8%	★★★★☆
2007	73.0	85 of 403	78.9%	★★★★☆
2006	77.6	60 of 406	85.2%	★★★★☆
2005	75.8	89 of 396	77.5%	★★★★☆
2004	62.5	173 of 387	55.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	68 of 185	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.8	50 of 169	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	71.6	38 of 179	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	51.6	72 of 164	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	59 of 162	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.8	31 of 141	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	73.9	28 of 148	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	57.1	57 of 137	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2018	32.3	78 of 108	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	48 of 170	71.8%	★★★★☆
2025	50.7	48 of 153	68.6%	★★★★☆
2024	35.9	105 of 158	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	122 of 133	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	33.3	97 of 130	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.9	94 of 102	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	50.0	50 of 120	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.2	83 of 109	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	63.5	157 of 467	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.9	151 of 450	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.7	139 of 474	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	53.7	203 of 455	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.4	231 of 467	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.8	133 of 443	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	63.2	156 of 439	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.6	174 of 436	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	111 of 195	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.7	93 of 175	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	92 of 186	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.2	82 of 178	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.2	141 of 188	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.7	49 of 156	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.4	57 of 171	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.1	41 of 163	74.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	52.3	210 of 458	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.3	211 of 432	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	200 of 473	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.1	343 of 459	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.3	316 of 404	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.2	267 of 399	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.7	244 of 415	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	299 of 401	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	69.8	109 of 483	77.4%	★★★★☆
2025	69.7	115 of 452	74.6%	★★★★☆
2024	64.7	146 of 479	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.4	214 of 464	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.7	296 of 476	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.3	158 of 437	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.6	170 of 454	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.5	146 of 438	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	61 of 124	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.7	29 of 113	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	54.8	44 of 116	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.0	59 of 107	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.7	112 of 131	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.6	54 of 120	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.7	37 of 114	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	63.5	16 of 49	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	78.1	33 of 296	88.9%	★★★★☆
2025	59.5	88 of 265	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	118 of 307	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.8	183 of 298	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.6	200 of 288	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	63.1	65 of 260	75.0%	★★★★☆
2019	75.5	39 of 282	86.2%	★★★★☆
2018	60.0	88 of 253	65.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	82.5	47 of 435	89.2%	★★★★☆
2025	86.0	31 of 415	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	82.5	42 of 440	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	74.7	69 of 436	84.2%	★★★★☆
2022	59.0	152 of 438	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.9	77 of 422	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	74.7	71 of 428	83.4%	★★★★☆
2018	70.3	96 of 428	77.6%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)89th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2026)89th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)77th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)72nd percentile-6 vs school

Native American (2023)67th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)66th percentile-11 vs school

African American (2026)63rd percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile-24 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)51st percentile-27 vs school

Hispanic (2026)43rd percentile-35 vs school

Asian (2018)28th percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading53%+4 vs state

Math43%~ state avg

Science24%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Friendly Hills Middle

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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
Friendly Hills Middle	Public	5-8	701 Mendota Heights Rd	Mendota Heights	55120	Dakota County	West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan	No	No	No	No	(651) 403-7600	785	45	17.4	41.1%	388 (49.4%)	100 (12.7%)	192 (24.5%)	31 (3.9%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (8.5%)	70.6	121^st of 546 public middle schools	77.8%		70.6	133^rd of 519 public middle schools	74.4%	12	52.1	54.1	45.7	60.8	53.0	25.6	22.8	24.1	46.4	42.8	38.4	45.3	43.0	$13,047
Heritage E-Stem Magnet School	Public, Magnet	5-8	121 W Butler Ave	West Saint Paul	55118	Dakota County	West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan	No	Yes	No	Yes	(651) 403-7400	761	52	14.6	52.0%	332 (43.6%)	92 (12.1%)	255 (33.5%)	14 (1.8%)	16 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (6.7%)	55.2	227^th of 546 public middle schools	58.4%		56.1	215^th of 519 public middle schools	58.6%	12	50.3	52.2	35.7	55.9	48.8	24.9	19.6	22.3	24.4	29.2	24.7	40.7	29.9	$13,831
Highland Park Middle School	Public	6-8	975 Snelling Ave S	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8950	811	42	19.4	48.2%	284 (35.0%)	134 (16.5%)	246 (30.3%)	52 (6.4%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	90 (11.1%)	54.4	234^th of 546 public middle schools	57.1%		44.3	291^st of 519 public middle schools	43.9%	57		52.2	42.7	47.0	47.4		20.2	20.2		31.4	30.7	31.7	31.3	$13,758
St. Paul Northern Lights Secondary	Public, Charter	7-8	768 Hamline Ave S	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	St. Paul School of Northern Lights	Yes	No	No	No	(651) 285-4672	15	2	8.1	20.0%	11 (73.3%)	1 (6.7%)	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (13.3%)								(n/a)			42.1		40.7						26.3		29.6
South St. Paul Middle School	Public	6-8	700 2nd St N	South Saint Paul	55075	Dakota County	South St. Paul Public School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 306-3659	535	48	11.2	64.7%	234 (43.7%)	53 (9.9%)	185 (34.6%)	19 (3.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.7%)	39.5	339^th of 546 public middle schools	37.9%		33	375^th of 519 public middle schools	27.7%	36		44.1	35.4	48.3	42.6		12.9	12.9		18.1	29.0	22.6	23.2
Dakota Hills Middle	Public	6-8	4183 Braddock Tr	Eagan	55123	Dakota County	Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan	No	No	No	No	(651) 683-6800	1,184	66	18.0	16.0%	769 (64.9%)	76 (6.4%)	87 (7.3%)	148 (12.5%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (8.4%)	92.5	21^st of 546 public middle schools	96.2%		87.6	40^th of 519 public middle schools	92.3%	19		73.1	66.6	65.1	68.4		32.9	32.9		62.9	62.6	54.9	60.2	$11,119
Global Arts Plus Upper	Public, Magnet	5-8	810 Palace Ave	Saint Paul	55102	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(651) 293-8690	437	25	17.5	66.1%	119 (27.2%)	126 (28.8%)	91 (20.8%)	60 (13.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	38 (8.7%)	14.3	476^th of 546 public middle schools	12.8%		19.8	433^rd of 519 public middle schools	16.6%	43	31.6	11.4	28.0	23.2	23.4	16.0	6.0	11.3	32.9	7.8	18.0	10.1	16.8	$17,217
Inver Grove Heights Middle	Public	6-8	8167 Cahill Ave E	Inver Grove Heights	55076	Dakota County	Inver Grove Heights Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 306-7200	817	44	18.6	49.4%	341 (41.7%)	106 (13.0%)	235 (28.8%)	40 (4.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	93 (11.4%)	40.8	329^th of 546 public middle schools	39.7%		38.5	328^th of 519 public middle schools	36.8%	1		37.1	37.6	42.0	38.9		8.9	8.9		28.7	33.0	32.4	31.5	$12,547
Quantum STEAM Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	5-8	497 Humboldt Ave	Saint Paul	55107	Ramsey County	Quantum STEAM Academy Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 615-6888	72	5	16.0	95.8%	0 (0.0%)	72 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13.4	482^nd of 546 public middle schools	11.7%		16.4	451^st of 519 public middle schools	13.1%	31	31.3	27.3	7.7	21.4	23.1	6.3	7.1	6.7	0.0	13.6	15.4	14.3	10.8
Black Hawk Middle	Public	6-8	1540 Deerwood Dr	Eagan	55122	Dakota County	Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan	No	No	No	No	(651) 683-8521	889	54	16.5	36.3%	422 (47.5%)	168 (18.9%)	125 (14.1%)	61 (6.9%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (12.4%)	76.5	89^th of 546 public middle schools	83.7%		74.3	112^th of 519 public middle schools	78.4%	23		59.9	49.3	54.2	54.5		23.5	23.5		44.1	49.5	50.3	48.0	$12,406

Frequently Asked Questions about Friendly Hills Middle

What high school do graduates of Friendly Hills Middle attend?

Students who attend Friendly Hills Middle usually go on to attend Two Rivers High School

What is the racial makeup of Friendly Hills Middle?

Students at Friendly Hills Middle are 49% White, 24% Hispanic, 13% African American, 9% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What district is Friendly Hills Middle in?

West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan

How many students attend Friendly Hills Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 785 students attended Friendly Hills Middle.

Is Friendly Hills Middle a good school?

Friendly Hills Middle ranks 121^st of 546 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Friendly Hills Middle!

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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.