Summary:
ZIP code 56738 in northwestern Minnesota is served by exactly one middle school: Marshall County Central Middle School, a grades 5–6 school in Newfolden with 78 students, part of Marshall County Central Schools. Because there is only one middle school in this area, the most useful comparisons are between this school, its district, and the state, rather than between local schools.
Overall, the school's strongest result is reading: 57.1% of students scored proficient, above both the district (47.6%) and the state (48.6%). Math is also solid at 47.1%, ahead of the district's 39.4% and slightly above the state's 44.9%. Those averages hide a large split between grades. Sixth graders performed well — 67.5% proficient in reading (state: 53.4%) and 50% in math (state: 39.5%) — while fifth graders trailed the state in reading at 43.3% versus 54.5%, and were only slightly above it in math, 43.3% versus 41.9%. That is a 24.2-point gap between the two grades in reading at the same school.
Science is the clear concern for the current year. Fifth grade science came in at 16.7% proficient, compared with 25.9% statewide, and all-grades science was 16.7% against the state's 25.5%. Notably, the school's prior-year science result (2024–2025) was 34.15%, above the state's 26.15%, so this may be a cohort-specific dip rather than a lasting trend. With only 78 students, a handful of test-takers can swing percentages sharply. For context, the district ranks 226 of 458 in Minnesota (51st percentile, 3 stars), and 35.9% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch. Families may want to ask about 5th grade reading and science support, while the 6th grade results look like a relative bright spot.
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