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Arlington Junior High - 03

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

Arlington Junior High - 03 ranks 51 st of 151 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

51^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 151 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 66% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Arlington Junior High - 03 is a small public middle school in Arlington, South Dakota, serving 47 students in grades 7–8. Its latest all-grades results were above the state in both English language arts (ELA) and math, but eighth-grade science is a clear concern: just 26% of students were proficient, the lowest result among nearby schools.

Math is the school’s strongest subject compared with nearby schools: 64% were proficient, the highest nearby result, 20 percentage points above the state and 2 points below the district. The nearby-school average was 49%, and Arlington was 8 points above the next-highest school. ELA was also above the state: 55% proficient, 6 points higher than the state and 6 points below the district, ranking third among nearby schools. Science was weaker: the 26% result was 14 points below the state and 6 points below the lowest nearby result.

Proficiency has fallen from earlier highs: between 2022–2023 and 2025–2026, ELA declined from 72% to 55% and math from 85% to 64%, though both remain above state results. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking also fell, from the 94th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 66th percentile and 3 stars in 2025–2026; Arlington ranked third among the five nearby schools, behind Lake Preston Middle School - 03 and Sioux Valley Middle School - 04. In 2024–2025, its student-teacher ratio was 18.1, the highest among nearby schools, and 19% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. SchoolDigger’s 2024–2025 measure of how well the school served groups placed Low Socio Economic Status Students at the 99th percentile, compared with the school’s overall 88th percentile, while Multi-racial Students ranked at the 10th percentile. With 47 students, results and group rankings are best read with the school’s small size in mind.

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,459

Per pupil spending ?

19.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

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 — 91st percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (54% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Above the South Dakota median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2016

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

!Science scores 14 pts below the South Dakota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg62%

South Dakota avg46%

51^st of 151

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 25 pts since 2016

From top 9% (2016) to top 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 126Arlington 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
2026	64.8	51 of 151	66.2%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	82.6	9 of 115	92.2%	★★★★★
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
2026	54.8	60 of 133	54.9%	★★★☆☆
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 (2026)92nd percentile+26 vs school

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

Male (2025)78th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile-16 vs school

White (2026)55th percentile-11 vs school

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

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

By subject vs South Dakota (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics64%+20 vs state

English Language Arts55%+6 vs state

Science26%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Arlington Junior High - 03

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	64.8	51^st of 151 public middle schools	66.2%		77.1	29^th of 246 public middle schools	88.2%	22		60.7	47.4	55.3		71.4	52.6	63.8	26.3	$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%)	74.4	21^st of 151 public middle schools	86.1%		67.3	66^th of 246 public middle schools	73.2%	45	54.8	66.0	56.9	58.6	50.7	58.0	60.3	55.8	51.7	$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%)	77.5	19^th of 151 public middle schools	87.4%		86.4	9^th of 246 public middle schools	96.3%	10	53.9	69.2	75.0	65.8	46.2	46.2	66.7	52.6	75.0	$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%)	43.7	93^rd of 151 public middle schools	38.4%		55.3	113^th of 246 public middle schools	54.1%	20	43.4	53.3	50.6	49.0	37.0	38.1	43.6	39.5	32.3	$11,498	$317	$11,181
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%)	48.6	82^nd of 151 public middle schools	45.7%		43.2	160^th of 246 public middle schools	35.0%	78	26.1	33.3	56.3	36.7	39.1	52.4	56.3	48.3	56.3	$13,354	$674	$12,680

Frequently Asked Questions about Arlington Junior High - 03

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

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

How many students attend Arlington Junior High - 03?

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

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

Is Arlington Junior High - 03 a good school?

Arlington Junior High - 03 ranks 51^st of 151 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Arlington Junior High - 03 in?

Arlington School District 38-1

Rate Arlington Junior High - 03!

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Latest South Dakota data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewNov 6, 2026

2025–26 SD ACT & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewNov 6, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation rates (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

2025–26 immunization ratesOct 24, 2026

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.