Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Arlington Junior High - 03

Q: Is Arlington Junior High - 03 a good school?

Arlington Junior High - 03 ranks 29 th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

29^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 88% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Arlington Junior High - 03 is a small public middle school serving grades 7-8 in Arlington, South Dakota. With just 37 students, it is part of the Arlington School District 38-1, which is ranked 5 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. This exceptional middle school has consistently ranked among the top in South Dakota, placing as high as 3rd in the state in 2021-2022.

Arlington Junior High - 03 boasts exceptional academic performance, consistently outperforming the state and district averages on Smarter Balanced Assessments. In 2024-2025, the school had 56.25% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 70.83% proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 50.93% and 43.49% respectively. The school also excels across various student subgroups, with female students ranking 14th out of 229 middle schools in the state and male students ranking 52nd out of 233 in 2024-2025. Additionally, the school's performance for White students (30th out of 230) and Special Education students (16th out of 181) is noteworthy.

Compared to nearby schools, Estelline Middle School - 03 and George S. Mickelson Middle School - 02 have lower academic performance than Arlington Junior High - 03, while Lake Preston Middle School - 03 is also a strong performer. Overall, Arlington Junior High - 03 stands out as an exceptional small middle school, with consistently high academic performance, strong support for diverse student subgroups, and a recent improvement in chronic absenteeism.

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,459

Per pupil spending ?

19.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

306 S Main St
Arlington, SD 57212

(605) 983-5598

District: Arlington School District 38-1

Students who attend Arlington Junior High - 03 usually attend:

High:

Arlington High School - 01

Feeder schools for Arlington Junior High - 03:

Elementary:

Arlington Elementary - 02

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.7%

Hispanic:

4.3%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare Arlington Junior High - 03 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 97th percentile in 2015 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (61% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of South Dakota middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg68%

South Dakota avg47%

29^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 3% (2015) to top 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 147Arlington School District 38-1 among South 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	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	77.1	29 of 246	88.2%	★★★★☆
2024	88.2	9 of 147	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	82.4	11 of 150	92.7%	★★★★★
2022	94.0	3 of 143	97.9%	★★★★★
2021	80.1	15 of 145	89.7%	★★★★★
2019	51.4	77 of 149	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	81.8	14 of 147	90.5%	★★★★★
2017	76.6	23 of 146	84.2%	★★★★☆
2016	81.2	13 of 147	91.2%	★★★★★
2015	90.1	5 of 145	96.6%	★★★★★
2013	57.3	68 of 145	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	70.7	31 of 146	78.8%	★★★★☆
2011	72.7	22 of 140	84.3%	★★★★☆
2010	65.0	50 of 139	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	78.1	9 of 139	93.5%	★★★★★
2008	76.6	11 of 136	91.9%	★★★★★
2007	76.1	15 of 136	89.0%	★★★★☆
2006	53.4	84 of 141	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	64.9	43 of 136	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2004	59.5	59 of 134	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2003	39.7	103 of 133	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.5	82 of 117	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	79.9	14 of 229	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	67.6	26 of 112	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	81.7	7 of 102	93.1%	★★★★★
2021	71.9	18 of 113	84.1%	★★★★☆
2019	75.1	18 of 107	83.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	55.9	32 of 117	72.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	95.1	2 of 187	98.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	67.2	52 of 233	77.7%	★★★★☆
2021	78.3	15 of 115	87.0%	★★★★☆
2018	78.1	15 of 111	86.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	103 of 115	10.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	69.6	16 of 181	91.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	75.6	30 of 230	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	84.9	9 of 132	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	82.9	11 of 136	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	94.5	2 of 132	98.5%	★★★★★
2021	72.6	19 of 136	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	46.0	79 of 136	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	75.3	20 of 131	84.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)94th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)91st percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)87th percentile~ school

Male (2025)78th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile-16 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)30th percentile-58 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)10th percentile-78 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics71%+27 vs state

English Language Arts56%+5 vs state

Science54%+11 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Arlington Junior High - 03 and help other families decide.

Rate Arlington Junior High - 03

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Arlington Junior High - 03

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Arlington Junior High - 03	Public	7-8	306 S Main St	Arlington	57212	Kingsbury County	Arlington School District 38-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 983-5598	47	3	18.1	19.1%	45 (95.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	77.1	29^th of 246 public middle schools	88.2%		88.2	9^th of 147 public middle schools	93.9%	20		54.5	57.7	56.3		77.3	65.4	70.8	53.9	$14,459	$27	$14,432
Sioux Valley Middle School - 04	Public	6-8	200 Hansina Ave	Volga	57071	Brookings County	Sioux Valley School District 05-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 627-5657	156	12	12.6	14.1%	143 (91.7%)	1 (0.6%)	5 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.8%)	67.3	66^th of 246 public middle schools	73.2%		58.5	58^th of 147 public middle schools	60.5%	8	62.5	61.0	51.0	58.2	50.0	44.1	56.9	50.0	43.1	$10,693	$15	$10,679
Lake Preston Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	300 1st St NE	Lake Preston	57249	Kingsbury County	Lake Preston School District 38-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 847-4455	33	4	8.4	39.4%	29 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)	86.4	9^th of 246 public middle schools	96.3%		89	7^th of 147 public middle schools	95.2%	2	72.7	69.2	80.0	73.5	63.6	61.5	80.0	67.7	70.0	$20,050	$07	$20,044
George S. Mickelson Middle School - 02	Public	6-8	1801 12th St S	Brookings	57006	Brookings County	Brookings School District 05-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 696-4500	780	54	14.3	21.5%	611 (78.3%)	34 (4.4%)	63 (8.1%)	20 (2.6%)	14 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (4.7%)	55.3	113^th of 246 public middle schools	54.1%		44.8	90^th of 147 public middle schools	38.8%	23	47.1	56.5	44.6	49.5	34.1	42.8	47.8	41.5	35.9	$11,498	$317	$11,181
Bobcat Plains Academy Middle School - 93	Public, Virtual	6-8	1910 12th St S	Brookings	57006	Brookings County	Brookings School District 05-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(605) 696-4714	4	0	10.5		4 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0
Estelline Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	708 Davis Ave	Estelline	57234	Hamlin County	Estelline School District 28-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 873-2201	60	4	13.9	36.7%	48 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.0%)	43.2	160^th of 246 public middle schools	35.0%		52.4	71^st of 147 public middle schools	51.7%	89	26.3	50.0	19.1	30.4	42.1	56.3	33.3	42.9	28.6	$13,354	$674	$12,680

Frequently Asked Questions about Arlington Junior High - 03

Is Arlington Junior High - 03 a good school?

Arlington Junior High - 03 ranks 29^th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Arlington Junior High - 03 in?

Arlington School District 38-1

What is the racial makeup of Arlington Junior High - 03?

Students at Arlington Junior High - 03 are 96% White, 4% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Arlington Junior High - 03 attend?

Students who attend Arlington Junior High - 03 usually go on to attend Arlington High School - 01

How many students attend Arlington Junior High - 03?

In the 2024-25 school year, 47 students attended Arlington Junior High - 03.

Rate Arlington Junior High - 03!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SDSouth Dakota Middle School Rankings

SDSouth Dakota District Rankings

Schools in Arlington, SD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Arlington Junior High - 03!

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.