Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 55441

ZIP code 55441 in Plymouth, Minnesota, has two middle schools serving grades 6–8—Wayzata East Middle and Plymouth Middle—together enrolling 1,566 students. Although they share the same ZIP code and grade levels, they belong to different districts: Wayzata East Middle is in Wayzata Public School District, which ranks 10th of 458 Minnesota districts, while Plymouth Middle is in Robbinsdale Public School District, which ranks 335th of 458. That district difference frames a striking performance gap between the two schools.

Wayzata East Middle is the standout: it ranks 14th of 546 ranked middle schools statewide in 2025–26 (97th percentile, 5 stars) and has stayed in the top 3% for three years. Plymouth Middle ranks 363rd of 546 (34th percentile, 2 stars), essentially flat across three years. In 2025–26 All Grades proficiency, Wayzata East Middle leads Plymouth Middle by 39.9 points in math (64.4% vs. 24.5%), 30.7 points in reading (71.4% vs. 40.7%), and 37.8 points in science (44.9% vs. 7.1%). Wayzata East Middle is above the state in all three subjects; Plymouth Middle is below the state in all three. By grade, the math gap widens from +25.7 points in 6th grade to +52.7 points in 8th grade, and 8th-grade science shows a 6.3× difference (44.9% vs. 7.1%).

Context matters. Plymouth Middle’s student–teacher ratio is slightly smaller (17.9 vs. 19.0), so class size as measured here does not explain the gap. The science gap appears district-wide: Robbinsdale Public School District’s 8th-grade science proficiency is 6.9%, almost identical to Plymouth Middle’s 7.1%, while Wayzata East Middle’s 44.9% is far above its district’s 31.7% and the state’s 16.7%. Wayzata East Middle also improved science by 5.7 points year over year while Plymouth Middle, its district, and the state declined. Reading is the relative bright spot at both schools, while science is the relative weak spot. In math, Wayzata East Middle rises from 54.9% in 6th grade to 70.7% in 8th, while Plymouth Middle falls from 29.2% to 18.0%. Plymouth Middle does outperform its own district overall and in reading, but the ZIP code contains a 40-point math gap and a 38-point science gap between two schools serving the same grades.