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Dell Rapids Middle School - 03

Public Grades 5-8

8^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 97% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 is a high-performing public middle school serving grades 5-8 in Dell Rapids, South Dakota. With 280 students and a student-teacher ratio of 13.7, the school has consistently been ranked among the top middle schools in the state, currently holding the 8th spot out of 246 middle schools and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school's academic performance is particularly impressive, with students consistently outperforming the state and district averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. In the 2024-2025 school year, 70.34% of students were proficient or better in ELA, and 68.63% were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 50.93% and 43.49%, respectively. The school's performance is especially strong in 8th grade ELA, where 75.94% of students were proficient or better, compared to the state average of 50.2%. Additionally, Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 ranks among the top schools in the state for the performance of various student subgroups, including female students, male students, white students, multi-racial students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as George McGovern Middle School -09 in Sioux Falls, Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 stands out as a high-performing institution, with significantly higher performance in ELA and Mathematics. This consistent excellence and the school's commitment to equity and inclusion, as evidenced by its strong performance across various student subgroups, suggest that Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 is a model of educational excellence that could provide valuable insights for other schools seeking to improve student outcomes.

295

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,900

Per pupil spending ?

15.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1216 N Garfield Ave
Dell Rapids, SD 57022

(605) 428-5473

District: Dell Rapids School District 49-3

Students who attend Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 usually attend:

High:

Dell Rapids High School - 01

Feeder schools for Dell Rapids Middle School - 03:

Elementary:

Dell Rapids Elementary - 02

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.5%

Two or more races:

3.4%

Hispanic:

2.0%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 70th percentile in 2015 → 97th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (68% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of South Dakota middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg64%

South Dakota avg47%

8^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 3%▲ up 27 pts since 2015

From top 30% (2015) to top 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 147Dell Rapids School District 49-3 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	86.8	8 of 246	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	92.0	4 of 147	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	90.8	3 of 150	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	78.5	15 of 143	89.5%	★★★★★
2021	73.8	20 of 145	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	13 of 149	91.3%	★★★★★
2018	80.6	17 of 147	88.4%	★★★★☆
2017	75.1	27 of 146	81.5%	★★★★☆
2016	48.1	83 of 147	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	61.8	44 of 145	69.7%	★★★★☆
2013	67.0	43 of 145	70.3%	★★★★☆
2012	53.4	80 of 146	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.0	84 of 140	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	65.3	47 of 139	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	78.2	8 of 139	94.2%	★★★★★
2008	71.7	27 of 136	80.1%	★★★★☆
2007	74.7	17 of 136	87.5%	★★★★☆
2006	63.5	50 of 141	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	69.9	30 of 136	77.9%	★★★★☆
2004	64.5	37 of 134	72.4%	★★★★☆
2003	58.6	54 of 133	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	16 of 229	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.2	2 of 107	98.1%	★★★★★
2023	84.3	6 of 112	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	69.9	22 of 102	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	64.5	30 of 113	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	8 of 107	92.5%	★★★★★
2018	78.3	11 of 99	88.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	17 of 117	85.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	7 of 187	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.9	2 of 65	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	98.7	1 of 70	98.6%	★★★★★
2021	77.0	5 of 63	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	80.4	6 of 79	92.4%	★★★★★
2018	79.7	7 of 71	90.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	87.0	5 of 233	97.9%	★★★★★
2024	91.8	1 of 115	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	93.0	2 of 116	98.3%	★★★★★
2022	82.3	7 of 104	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	80.5	13 of 115	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	79.2	17 of 110	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.6	12 of 111	89.2%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	80.6	7 of 115	93.9%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	28 of 111	74.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	74.3	10 of 181	94.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	83.0	8 of 230	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	91.0	4 of 132	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	88.2	5 of 136	96.3%	★★★★★
2022	74.9	19 of 132	85.6%	★★★★☆
2021	68.5	27 of 136	80.1%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	17 of 136	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	74.2	25 of 131	80.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)98th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)96th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)94th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)94th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)93rd percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)85th percentile-11 vs school

Native American (2025)75th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts70%+19 vs state

Mathematics69%+25 vs state

Science62%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dell Rapids Middle School - 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 5th Grade	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 5th Grade	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 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dell Rapids Middle School - 03	Public	5-8	1216 N Garfield Ave	Dell Rapids	57022	Minnehaha County	Dell Rapids School District 49-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 428-5473	295	18	16.1	15.6%	273 (92.5%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.4%)	86.8	8^th of 246 public middle schools	96.7%		92	4^th of 147 public middle schools	97.3%	4	70.9	69.8	63.8	75.9	70.3	59.5	76.2	71.0	69.6	68.6	58.2	65.8	62.0	$10,900	$427	$10,473
Baltic Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	1 Bulldog Ave	Baltic	57003	Minnehaha County	Baltic School District 49-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 529-5461	110	8	13.4	19.1%	100 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.7%)	68.5	60^th of 246 public middle schools	75.6%		57.1	60^th of 147 public middle schools	59.2%			65.7	60.0	54.8	60.4		60.0	46.7	29.0	46.0		58.1		$10,459	$361	$10,099
Colman-Egan Junior High - 02	Public	7-8	200 S Loban Ave	Colman	57017	Moody County	Colman-Egan School District 50-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 534-3534	36	3	10.9	33.3%	30 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (8.3%)	20.9	206^th of 246 public middle schools	16.3%		27.1	114^th of 147 public middle schools	22.4%	92			16.7	33.3	24.2			11.1	13.3	12.1		20.0		$11,886	$355	$11,531
Chester Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	102 2nd Ave	Chester	57016	Lake County	Chester Area School District 39-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 489-2411	67	6	11.2	19.4%	62 (92.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.5%)	69.4	54^th of 246 public middle schools	78.0%		49	80^th of 147 public middle schools	45.6%	26		58.3	57.9	75.0	64.2		50.0	31.6	66.7	50.7		41.7		$13,142	$417	$12,725
Tri-Valley Intermediate School - 03	Public	5-8	46450 252nd St	Colton	57018	Minnehaha County	Tri-Valley School District 49-6	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 446-3538	296	20	14.9	22.6%	237 (80.1%)	20 (6.8%)	20 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (5.1%)	55.5	111^th of 246 public middle schools	54.9%		53	69^th of 147 public middle schools	53.1%	42	65.7	43.3	50.0	41.8	50.0	40.0	44.8	38.1	51.9	43.7	50.0	40.5	45.0	$11,483	$232	$11,251
Garretson Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	505 2nd St	Garretson	57030	Minnehaha County	Garretson School District 49-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 594-3452	105	8	13.1	19.0%	88 (83.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.6%)	56.4	106^th of 246 public middle schools	56.9%		63.1	48^th of 147 public middle schools	67.3%	58		44.1	63.4	48.3	52.9		38.2	39.0	44.8	40.4		34.5		$13,865	$263	$13,603
Flandreau Middle School - 03	Public	5-8	700 W Community Dr	Flandreau	57028	Moody County	Flandreau School District 50-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 997-2705	193	19	10.1	52.3%	80 (41.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (13.0%)	2 (1.0%)	63 (32.6%)	2 (1.0%)	21 (10.9%)	42	162^nd of 246 public middle schools	34.1%		20.4	127^th of 147 public middle schools	13.6%	35	32.0	34.0	55.9	38.6	38.9	18.0	38.3	29.4	11.4	24.0	18.0	38.6	27.7	$14,765	$995	$13,770
Brandon Valley Middle School - 02	Public	7-8	700 Holly Blvd	Brandon	57005	Minnehaha County	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 582-3214	759	44	17.3	18.3%	631 (83.1%)	37 (4.9%)	35 (4.6%)	13 (1.7%)	6 (0.8%)	5 (0.7%)	32 (4.2%)	82.5	15^th of 246 public middle schools	93.9%		87.1	10^th of 147 public middle schools	93.2%	5			77.3	69.2	73.4			66.4	53.5	60.2		57.1		$9,715	$242	$9,473
West Central Middle School - 04	Public	6-8	705 E 2nd St	Hartford	57033	Minnehaha County	West Central School District 49-7	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 528-3799	297	20	15.0	13.8%	269 (90.6%)	3 (1.0%)	8 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.7%)	56.2	109^th of 246 public middle schools	55.7%		51.3	74^th of 147 public middle schools	49.7%	35		37.0	54.7	50.6	46.9		44.4	41.1	48.3	44.5		39.3		$11,327	$259	$11,068
George McGovern Middle School -09	Public	6-8	6221 W Maple St	Sioux Falls	57107	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-4440	780	60	13.1	75.5%	297 (38.1%)	125 (16.0%)	225 (28.8%)	6 (0.8%)	60 (7.7%)	5 (0.6%)	62 (7.9%)	33.4	180^th of 246 public middle schools	26.8%		17	133^rd of 147 public middle schools	9.5%	47		30.5	31.0	34.6	32.0		21.9	25.2	27.2	24.8		33.9		$12,677	$919	$11,759

Frequently Asked Questions about Dell Rapids Middle School - 03

What district is Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 in?

Dell Rapids School District 49-3

Is Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 a good school?

Yes! Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 8^th of 246 South Dakota middle schools.

How many students attend Dell Rapids Middle School - 03?

In the 2024-25 school year, 295 students attended Dell Rapids Middle School - 03.

What is the racial makeup of Dell Rapids Middle School - 03?

Students at Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 are 93% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

What high school do graduates of Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 attend?

Students who attend Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 usually go on to attend Dell Rapids High School - 01

Rate Dell Rapids Middle School - 03!

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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.