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West Central Middle School - 04

Q: Is West Central Middle School - 04 a good school?

West Central Middle School - 04 ranks 109 th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

109^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 56% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

West Central Middle School - 04 is a public middle school located in Hartford, South Dakota, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 302 students. The school is part of the West Central School District 49-7, which is ranked 29 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While the school has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, its academic performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments is mixed compared to the state and district averages. In 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (46.92%) and Mathematics (44.52%) are lower than the West Central School District (54.13% and 53.29%) and the state (50.93% and 43.49%) averages. However, the school's 8th-grade Science proficiency rate (39.33%) is higher than the district (38.89%) but lower than the state (42.51%) average. The school's performance also varies across different student subgroups, with some groups, such as special education students, showing strong results, while others struggle.

Comparison to nearby schools, such as Montrose Middle School - 03, which consistently outperforms West Central Middle School - 04 in academic proficiency, suggests that the school could benefit from examining its instructional practices and strategies to support struggling student subgroups. Additionally, the school's higher per-student spending and student-teacher ratio indicate that resources may not be translating into improved academic outcomes, and the school may need to evaluate the effectiveness of its resource utilization.

297

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,327

Per pupil spending ?

13.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

705 E 2nd St
Hartford, SD 57033

(605) 528-3799

District: West Central School District 49-7

Students who attend West Central Middle School - 04 usually attend:

High:

West Central High School - 01

Feeder schools for West Central Middle School - 04:

Elementary:	West Central Hartford Elementary - 05
	West Central Humboldt Elementary - 02

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.6%

Two or more races:

3.7%

Hispanic:

2.7%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare West Central Middle School - 04 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 23rd percentile in 2015 → 56th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 33 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the South Dakota median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg53%

South Dakota avg47%

109^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 33 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to top 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^th of 147West Central School District 49-7 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	56.2	109 of 246	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.3	74 of 147	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.6	44 of 150	70.7%	★★★★☆
2022	53.8	65 of 143	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.9	79 of 145	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.6	109 of 149	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.0	94 of 147	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.6	75 of 146	48.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	33.7	116 of 147	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.9	112 of 145	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	45.0	99 of 145	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.2	59 of 146	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.5	32 of 140	77.1%	★★★★☆
2010	76.2	17 of 139	87.8%	★★★★☆
2009	66.1	41 of 139	70.5%	★★★★☆
2008	61.9	54 of 136	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.0	49 of 136	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	53.5	83 of 141	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	57.8	66 of 136	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	64.9	34 of 134	74.6%	★★★★☆
2003	63.2	42 of 133	68.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	28 of 47	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	55.6	103 of 229	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.1	43 of 107	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.9	54 of 112	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.0	44 of 102	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.2	52 of 113	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.5	77 of 107	28.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.6	68 of 99	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	36.2	86 of 117	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	104 of 187	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.7	35 of 65	46.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.1	42 of 70	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.1	15 of 46	67.4%	★★★★☆
2021	48.1	32 of 63	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.2	56 of 79	29.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.1	51 of 71	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	110 of 233	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.6	75 of 115	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.9	25 of 116	78.4%	★★★★☆
2022	48.1	56 of 104	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.3	75 of 115	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.2	81 of 110	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.6	79 of 111	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	38.2	23 of 32	28.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	47.4	60 of 115	47.8%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	60 of 111	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	57 of 181	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	15.5	29 of 29	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	76.8	3 of 27	88.9%	★★★★★
2022	59.1	7 of 25	72.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	52.0	121 of 230	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	80 of 132	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.8	48 of 136	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.2	72 of 132	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.5	97 of 136	28.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.0	110 of 136	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.9	90 of 131	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)69th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile~ school

Male (2025)53rd percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)48th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)47th percentile-8 vs school

Native American (2025)46th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile-11 vs school

African American (2025)40th percentile-15 vs school

Military Connected (2025)28th percentile-28 vs school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%-4 vs state

Mathematics45%~ state avg

Science39%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Central Middle School - 04

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
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
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
Memorial Middle School - 04	Public	6-8	1401 S Sertoma Ave	Sioux Falls	57106	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 362-2785	1,133	68	16.7	30.8%	824 (72.7%)	65 (5.7%)	105 (9.3%)	14 (1.2%)	29 (2.6%)	4 (0.4%)	92 (8.1%)	76	33^rd of 246 public middle schools	86.6%		79.8	20^th of 147 public middle schools	86.4%	13		58.3	62.4	64.3	61.6		55.6	60.8	58.0	58.1		54.4		$11,722	$569	$11,153
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
Edison Middle School - 06	Public	6-8	2101 S West Ave	Sioux Falls	57105	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 367-7643	937	60	15.5	48.2%	546 (58.3%)	103 (11.0%)	169 (18.0%)	14 (1.5%)	35 (3.7%)	2 (0.2%)	68 (7.3%)	57.4	101^st of 246 public middle schools	58.9%		46.9	84^th of 147 public middle schools	42.9%	17		48.3	57.8	49.4	51.7		39.1	45.9	37.4	40.6		40.1		$11,735	$588	$11,147
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)
Tea Area Middle School - 02	Public	6-8	515 W Brian St	Tea	57064	Lincoln County	Tea Area School District 41-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 498-2700	583	31	19.0	21.8%	469 (80.4%)	29 (5.0%)	37 (6.3%)	5 (0.9%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.3%)	69.8	51^st of 246 public middle schools	79.3%		59.3	56^th of 147 public middle schools	61.9%	5		52.1	60.2	51.9	54.9		47.9	57.3	54.6	53.4		56.3		$9,888	$292	$9,596
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 West Central Middle School - 04

What high school do graduates of West Central Middle School - 04 attend?

Students who attend West Central Middle School - 04 usually go on to attend West Central High School - 01

What district is West Central Middle School - 04 in?

West Central School District 49-7

How many students attend West Central Middle School - 04?

In the 2024-25 school year, 297 students attended West Central Middle School - 04.

What is the racial makeup of West Central Middle School - 04?

Students at West Central Middle School - 04 are 91% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, 1% African American.

Is West Central Middle School - 04 a good school?

West Central Middle School - 04 ranks 109^th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate West Central Middle School - 04!

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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.