Middle Schools in Leola School District 44-2

Summary:

The Leola School District 44-2 in South Dakota has only one middle school, Leola Junior High - 03, which serves students in grades 6-8. This small school of just 27 students has shown variable academic performance, with some grades and subjects performing above the state average while others lag behind.

Leola Junior High - 03's statewide ranking has fluctuated in recent years, ranging from 74th out of 143 middle schools in 2021-2022 to 150th out of 246 in 2024-2025. The school's proficiency rates on Smarter Balanced Assessments vary, with 6th-grade Math at 66.66% proficient compared to the state average of 43.49%, but 8th-grade Science at just 20% proficient compared to the state average of 42.51%. The school also faces challenges with a high chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2%, which is above the state average.

Despite these performance challenges, Leola Junior High - 03 benefits from a low student-teacher ratio of 8.1 and per-student spending of $17,907 for the 2023-2024 school year. However, the school's high rate of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, at 40.74% in 2023-2024, suggests a relatively low-income student population that may contribute to the school's academic performance and other challenges.

District Detail

820 Leola Ave
Leola, SD 57456

(605) 439-3477

SchoolDigger Rank:
67^th of 147 South Dakota districts

See the 2025 South Dakota District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 205

Primary Schools: 4
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 2
Alternative Schools: 0

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking ()				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments 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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Leola Junior High - 03	Public	6-8	820 Leola Ave	Leola	57456	McPherson County	Leola School District 44-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 439-3477	22	4	5.6	40.9%	22 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44.8	150^th of 246 public middle schools	39.0%					(n/a)	16.7	30.8	40.0	29.2	66.7	53.9	20.0	50.0	20.0	$20,901	$492	$20,408

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ipswich Public School District 22-6	7.46 mi	7	36^th
Frederick Area School District 06-2	22.31 mi	3	40^th
Edmunds Central School District 22-5	26.8 mi	4	69^th
Aberdeen School District 06-1	27.56 mi	9	76^th
Hub Area Multi-District	28.02 mi	1

See the top SD South Dakota districts

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