Summary:
ZIP code 56201 in Willmar, Minnesota is home to two middle schools serving grades 6–8 — Willmar Middle School and Middle School Alternative Learning Center — both part of the Willmar Public School District. Together they enroll 869 students, but their sizes differ dramatically: Willmar Middle School has 842 students, while the Alternative Learning Center has just 27.
Willmar Middle School is the area's comprehensive middle school and the only one with reported test scores and rankings. It ranked 241st of 546 Minnesota middle schools in 2025–2026 (56th percentile, 3 stars) — above the state median, even though the Willmar Public School District itself is rated 331st of 458 districts (28th percentile, 1 star). Academically, math is strongest: 7th graders scored 45.2% versus the state's 40.3%, and 8th graders 52.0% versus 42.3%, though 6th grade math lags at 33.3% against 39.5%. Reading is the clearest weakness, at 38.5% overall — 10.1 points below the state — with grade 6 at 36.0% vs. 53.4% and grade 7 at 30.4% vs. 43.5%; 8th grade reading is nearly level with the state at 49.4% vs. 50.0%. Science is the lowest area, with 8th grade at 14.6% vs. 16.7%, but it improved from 8.93% the prior year.
Middle School Alternative Learning Center has no test scores, rankings, or student/teacher ratio available, so its academics cannot be measured from this data — its very small size suggests an alternative setting rather than a traditional school. Both schools show substantial economic need: 81.48% of Alternative Learning Center students and 62.71% of Willmar Middle School students qualify for free or reduced lunch, an 18.77-point difference.
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