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Garretson Middle School - 03

Q: Is Garretson Middle School - 03 a good school?

Garretson Middle School - 03 ranks 106 th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

106^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 57% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Garretson Middle School - 03 is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Garretson, South Dakota, with 97 students. The school's performance has been mixed, with fluctuations in its statewide ranking over the years, ranging from 56th out of 149 middle schools in 2018-2019 to 111th out of 147 in 2015-2016. Its current ranking for 2024-2025 is 106th out of 246 middle schools, with a 3-star rating.

The school's performance varies across different student subgroups. Male students generally perform better than female students, ranking 99th out of 233 in 2024-2025 compared to the female students ranking 117th out of 229. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (52.88%) and Mathematics (40.38%) were both below the state averages (50.93% and 43.49%, respectively) in 2024-2025. However, the school's 8th grade English Language Arts proficiency rate (48.28%) was close to the state average (50.2%). The school has also seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 9.3% in 2022-2023 to 20.2% in 2024-2025.

Compared to nearby schools, Garretson Middle School - 03 performs relatively well, such as compared to Axtell Park Middle School - 47 in Sioux Falls, which has significantly lower test scores and a 0-star rating. However, it lags behind higher-performing schools like Dell Rapids Middle School - 03 and Brandon Valley Middle School - 02, which consistently rank among the top middle schools in the state.

105

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,865

Per pupil spending ?

19%

Free/discounted lunch ?

505 2nd St
Garretson, SD 57030

(605) 594-3452

District: Garretson School District 49-4

Students who attend Garretson Middle School - 03 usually attend:

High:

Garretson High School - 01

Feeder schools for Garretson Middle School - 03:

Elementary:

Garretson Elementary - 02

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.8%

Two or more races:

8.6%

Hispanic:

4.8%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare Garretson Middle School - 03 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2015 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the South Dakota median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg42%

South Dakota avg47%

106^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 30 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

100^th of 147Garretson School District 49-4 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	56.4	106 of 246	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.1	48 of 147	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.2	93 of 150	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.3	91 of 143	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.0	65 of 145	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.0	56 of 149	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.9	62 of 147	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.6	80 of 146	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.3	111 of 147	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	38.0	106 of 145	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	70.0	35 of 145	75.9%	★★★★☆
2012	74.0	18 of 146	87.7%	★★★★☆
2011	73.1	21 of 140	85.0%	★★★★☆
2010	82.0	3 of 139	97.8%	★★★★★
2009	67.3	39 of 139	71.9%	★★★★☆
2008	62.5	51 of 136	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.0	64 of 136	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.5	37 of 141	73.8%	★★★★☆
2005	58.5	62 of 136	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2004	62.7	44 of 134	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2003	66.7	30 of 133	77.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	29.9	102 of 117	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	117 of 229	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.0	67 of 107	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.9	86 of 112	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	86 of 102	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	54.4	54 of 113	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	49 of 107	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.8	40 of 99	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	35 of 47	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	52.4	39 of 117	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	43.4	112 of 187	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	56.3	99 of 233	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.6	19 of 115	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	55.9	45 of 116	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.6	38 of 104	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.9	58 of 115	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	41 of 110	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.3	59 of 111	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	51.5	49 of 115	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	106 of 111	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	109 of 181	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.2	115 of 230	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.4	58 of 132	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.0	96 of 136	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	97 of 132	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.0	85 of 136	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.8	65 of 136	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.5	72 of 131	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)67th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)57th percentile~ school

White (2025)50th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)49th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)40th percentile-17 vs school

Special Education (2025)40th percentile-17 vs school

Foster Care (2025)26th percentile-31 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)13th percentile-44 vs school

Native American (2025)5th percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts53%~ state avg

Mathematics40%-3 vs state

Science34%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Garretson 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
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
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
Brandon Valley Intermediate - 07	Public	5-6	201 W Park St	Brandon	57005	Minnehaha County	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 582-6035	829	47	17.6	20.6%	655 (79.0%)	48 (5.8%)	60 (7.2%)	12 (1.4%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	47 (5.7%)								(n/a)	75.2	74.2			74.7	64.7	75.2			69.8	68.0			$9,750	$242	$9,509
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
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
Ben Reifel Middle School - 68	Public	6-8	6700 E 41st St	Sioux Falls	57110	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 371-4155	885	62	14.2	44.5%	531 (60.0%)	126 (14.2%)	108 (12.2%)	20 (2.3%)	27 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (8.2%)	66.5	72^nd of 246 public middle schools	70.7%		52.2	72^nd of 147 public middle schools	51.0%			57.6	56.8	58.0	57.5		44.2	50.8	46.7	47.3		47.3		$12,305	$608	$11,698
Whittier Middle School - 08	Public	6-8	930 E 6th St	Sioux Falls	57103	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-7620	675	54	12.5	83.1%	138 (20.4%)	189 (28.0%)	195 (28.9%)	54 (8.0%)	53 (7.9%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (6.7%)	26.1	191^st of 246 public middle schools	22.4%		11.1	137^th of 147 public middle schools	6.8%	54		28.7	27.5	26.9	27.7		22.8	21.4	14.1	19.4		24.4		$13,208	$618	$12,590
Teachwell Academy Middle School - 04	Public	6-8	824 E 14th St	Sioux Falls	57104	Minnehaha County	East Dakota Educational Cooperative	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-7680	0	3	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Axtell Park Middle School - 47	Public	6-8	201 N West Ave	Sioux Falls	57104	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-4266	31	11	2.7	100.0%	17 (54.8%)	1 (3.2%)	5 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (22.6%)	9.1	234^th of 246 public middle schools	4.9%					(n/a)		0.0	16.7	7.7	8.8		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0		7.7		$44,069	$559	$43,510
Patrick Henry Middle School - 07	Public	6-8	2200 S 5th Ave	Sioux Falls	57105	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-7639	925	58	15.8	35.6%	665 (71.9%)	73 (7.9%)	71 (7.7%)	19 (2.1%)	38 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (6.4%)	74.7	37^th of 246 public middle schools	85.0%		72.6	29^th of 147 public middle schools	80.3%	8		58.4	60.7	62.9	60.6		53.6	56.0	55.9	55.2		59.0		$11,797	$570	$11,227

Frequently Asked Questions about Garretson Middle School - 03

Is Garretson Middle School - 03 a good school?

Garretson Middle School - 03 ranks 106^th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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

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

What is the racial makeup of Garretson Middle School - 03?

Students at Garretson Middle School - 03 are 84% White, 9% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 3% American Indian.

How many students attend Garretson Middle School - 03?

In the 2024-25 school year, 105 students attended Garretson Middle School - 03.

What district is Garretson Middle School - 03 in?

Garretson School District 49-4

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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.