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South Middle School

Q: Is South Middle School a good school?

South Middle School ranks 27 th of 59 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

27^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 59 North Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 54% of North Dakota middle schools

Summary

South Middle School is a public middle school serving 552 students in grades 6-8 in the Grand Forks 1 school district in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has consistently shown strong academic performance, ranking in the top half of North Dakota middle schools and outperforming the district and state averages in math and reading proficiency.

South Middle School's key strengths include its high statewide ranking, reaching as high as 9th out of 28 middle schools in recent years, and its strong performance for male and white students. However, the school faces some concerning trends, such as a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 20% in 2023-2024 to 30% in 2024-2025, which is notably higher than the nearby Schroeder Middle School and Valley Middle School. Additionally, the school has seen a substantial increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 18.02% in 2021-2022 to 31.7% in 2023-2024, suggesting a growing economic need among the student population.

Despite these challenges, South Middle School remains a strong performer within the Grand Forks 1 district, with higher test scores and statewide rankings compared to nearby middle schools. The school's commitment to investing in its students, as evidenced by the steady increase in per-student spending, is a positive sign. However, addressing the rising chronic absenteeism and increasing economic need will be crucial for the school to maintain its academic success and ensure all students have the support they need to thrive.

549

Students ?

6.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,030

Per pupil spending ?

35.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1999 47th Ave S
Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 746-2345

District: Grand Forks 1

Students who attend South Middle School usually attend:

High:

Red River High School

Feeder schools for South Middle School:

Elementary:	Century Elementary School
	Discovery Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.5%

Two or more races:

11.7%

Hispanic:

11.3%

See top rated North Dakota middle schools

Compare South Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Dakota average (49% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Dakota median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 20% North Dakota)

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

!Near the bottom of Grand Forks 1's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg43%

North Dakota avg40%

27^th of 59

North Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Grand Forks 1

69^th of 134Grand Forks 1 among North Dakota 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	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	51.8	27 of 59	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.8	20 of 57	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.4	28 of 61	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.4	28 of 61	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.6	26 of 60	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2020	47.2	28 of 55	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.0	28 of 55	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.9	32 of 55	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.9	33 of 52	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.4	35 of 53	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	65.8	17 of 52	67.3%	★★★★☆
2014	62.4	52 of 136	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.3	73 of 135	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.6	58 of 124	53.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	65.6	4 of 15	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	55.8	4 of 17	76.5%	★★★★☆
2023	42.1	8 of 15	46.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.9	3 of 14	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	67.6	3 of 13	76.9%	★★★★☆
2020	33.5	11 of 11	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.8	9 of 9	0.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.9	7 of 12	41.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	34.7	8 of 10	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.3	9 of 10	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	58.9	1 of 3	66.7%	★★★★★
2023	29.9	5 of 5	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.9	1 of 4	75.0%	★★★★★
2021	39.0	3 of 4	25.0%	★★★★☆
2020	40.9	4 of 5	20.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.3	4 of 5	20.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	19.7	4 of 4	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	23.6	5 of 5	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	21.7	4 of 4	0.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	47.2	8 of 12	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.4	7 of 11	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	75.5	1 of 9	88.9%	★★★★★
2022	54.0	3 of 9	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.9	4 of 7	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2020	42.5	4 of 7	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.5	4 of 7	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.3	1 of 4	75.0%	★★★★☆
2017	70.0	2 of 5	60.0%	★★★★☆
2016	33.3	4 of 5	20.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	39.7	26 of 37	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.2	18 of 36	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.0	26 of 39	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.1	23 of 37	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.0	19 of 37	48.6%	★★★☆☆
2020	44.0	23 of 34	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.6	23 of 34	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.6	17 of 31	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.3	15 of 34	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	44.9	21 of 32	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.2	11 of 30	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	11 of 14	21.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.9	7 of 14	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.3	13 of 14	7.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	78.5	1 of 13	92.3%	★★★★★
2021	70.3	1 of 10	90.0%	★★★★★
2020	36.3	10 of 12	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	11 of 13	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	22 of 31	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.2	11 of 28	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	19.2	28 of 28	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	48.8	10 of 24	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.8	13 of 24	45.8%	★★★☆☆
2020	31.0	21 of 26	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	21 of 26	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	19 of 25	24.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	26.2	23 of 25	8.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.2	22 of 23	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	44.8	13 of 23	43.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	57.0	14 of 37	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.3	9 of 36	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	59.5	9 of 39	76.9%	★★★★☆
2022	58.1	10 of 37	73.0%	★★★★☆
2021	57.9	14 of 37	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2020	49.7	19 of 34	44.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.5	19 of 34	44.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.7	22 of 31	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.9	19 of 34	44.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	39.3	21 of 32	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	75.3	3 of 30	90.0%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2021	88.7	1 of 3	66.7%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2024	85.8	1 of 12	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	64.5	3 of 10	70.0%	★★★★☆
2021	68.6	1 of 9	88.9%	★★★★★
2020	87.8	1 of 10	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	87.8	1 of 9	88.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	68.7	7 of 23	69.6%	★★★★☆
2024	70.9	5 of 24	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	62.0	8 of 22	63.6%	★★★★☆
2022	60.8	9 of 24	62.5%	★★★★☆
2021	67.1	6 of 22	72.7%	★★★★☆
2020	56.0	9 of 21	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.0	9 of 21	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.6	9 of 20	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.8	11 of 19	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.1	12 of 19	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	77.3	5 of 18	72.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Native American (2024)92nd percentile+27 vs school

African American (2025)73rd percentile+19 vs school

White (2025)70th percentile+15 vs school

Military Connected (2021)67th percentile+10 vs school

Asian (2025)67th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)62nd percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)33rd percentile-21 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile-25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)29th percentile-25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)21st percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs North Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Science59%+21 vs state

Math47%+6 vs state

Reading41%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near South Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				A-Plus Math (2025)				A-Plus Reading (2025)				A-Plus Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	A-Plus Math 6th Grade	A-Plus Math 7th Grade	A-Plus Math 8th Grade	A-Plus Math All Grades	A-Plus Reading 6th Grade	A-Plus Reading 7th Grade	A-Plus Reading 8th Grade	A-Plus Reading All Grades	A-Plus Science 8th Grade	A-Plus Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Middle School	Public	6-8	1999 47th Ave S	Grand Forks	58201	Grand Forks County	Grand Forks 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(701) 746-2345	549	89	6.1	35.5%	310 (56.5%)	59 (10.7%)	62 (11.3%)	35 (6.4%)	19 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (11.7%)	51.8	27^th of 59 public middle schools	54.2%		59.8	20^th of 57 public middle schools	64.9%	7	54.0	44.0	49.0	47.0	39.0	40.5	44.0	41.0	59.0	59.0	$17,030	$1,016	$16,013
Schroeder Middle School	Public	6-8	800 32nd Ave S	Grand Forks	58201	Grand Forks County	Grand Forks 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 746-2330	569	76	7.4	16.0%	467 (82.1%)	6 (1.1%)	33 (5.8%)	5 (0.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (9.5%)	68	10^th of 59 public middle schools	83.1%		74.2	4^th of 57 public middle schools	93.0%	6	64.0	54.0	54.0	57.0	50.5	49.0	54.0	52.0	49.0	49.0	$15,594	$639	$14,955
Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	2100 5th Ave N	Grand Forks	58203	Grand Forks County	Grand Forks 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(701) 746-2360	508	54	9.4	49.8%	258 (50.8%)	39 (7.7%)	77 (15.2%)	16 (3.1%)	30 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (17.3%)	16	50^th of 59 public middle schools	15.3%		20.6	46^th of 57 public middle schools	19.3%	4	29.0	24.0	24.0	26.0	33.0	34.0	28.0	32.0	34.0	34.0	$17,851	$1,801	$16,051
Nathan Twining Middle School	Public	6-8	1422 N Louisiana St	Grand Forks AFB	58204	Grand Forks County	Grand Forks 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 787-5100	69	12	5.5	17.4%	46 (66.7%)	6 (8.7%)	8 (11.6%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.9%)	5 (7.2%)	65.6	12^th of 59 public middle schools	79.7%		65.6	11^th of 57 public middle schools	80.7%	1	64.5	49.0	29.0	44.0	74.5	39.5	59.5	54.0	69.0	69.0	$15,401	$443	$14,958

IMPORTANT NOTE: North Dakota does not publish exact assessment percentages; instead, results are reported as ranges (e.g., 20-29%) to protect student privacy in smaller groups. The proficiency rates displayed on SchoolDigger are calculated using midpoint imputation—the center value of each reported range. Actual values may differ by up to 5 percentage points from the figures shown.

Frequently Asked Questions about South Middle School

How many students attend South Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 549 students attended South Middle School.

What district is South Middle School in?

Grand Forks 1

What high school do graduates of South Middle School attend?

Students who attend South Middle School usually go on to attend Red River High School

What is the racial makeup of South Middle School?

Students at South Middle School are 56% White, 12% Two or more races, 11% Hispanic, 11% African American, 6% Asian, 3% American Indian.

Is South Middle School a good school?

South Middle School ranks 27^th of 59 North Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate South Middle School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

About North Dakota Assessment Data: To protect student privacy, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction reports assessment results as percentage ranges rather than exact values. SchoolDigger calculates proficiency rates using midpoint imputation, which uses the center value of each reported range. For example, a reported range of 20-29% is represented as 24.5%. As a result, the proficiency rates shown may vary by approximately ±5 percentage points from actual values. This variance is most significant for individual grade/subject combinations and diminishes when data is aggregated across multiple grades or subjects.

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.