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Northwestern High School - 01

Q: Is Northwestern High School - 01 a good school?

Northwestern High School - 01 ranks 20 th of 166 South Dakota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

20^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 166 South Dakota High Schools

Better than 88% of South Dakota high schools

Summary

Northwestern High School - 01 is a public high school located in Mellette, South Dakota, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 88 students. The school is part of the Northwestern Area School District 56-7, which is ranked 103 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Northwestern High School - 01 has consistently performed well on the Smarter Balanced Assessments, with high proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science compared to the district and state averages. The school has also maintained a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 84% to 100% in recent years, which is higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school has a low dropout rate, ranging from 0% to 8.8% in the past few years, which is also better than the district and state.

While Central High School - 01 and Redfield High School - 01 also demonstrate strong academic performance, particularly in ELA and Science, they lag behind Northwestern High School - 01 in Mathematics. Additionally, the virtual school within the same district, iSucceed - 92, has significantly lower academic performance compared to Northwestern High School - 01.

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,315

Per pupil spending ?

14.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

221 3rd St
Mellette, SD 57461

(605) 887-3467

District: Northwestern Area School District 56-7

Feeder schools for Northwestern High School - 01:

Elementary:	Northwestern Elementary - 04
Middle:	Northwestern Middle School - 02

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.6%

Hispanic:

2.2%

African American:

1.1%

See top rated South Dakota high schools

Compare Northwestern High School - 01 to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 56th percentile in 2015 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (64% vs 50% meeting standards)

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

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the South Dakota average (86%)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg45%

South Dakota avg50%

20^th of 166

South Dakota public high schools ?

Top 12%▲ up 32 pts since 2015

From top 44% (2015) to top 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Northwestern Area School District 56-7

103^rd of 147Northwestern Area School District 56-7 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	80.9	20 of 166	88.0%	★★★★☆
2024	85.3	16 of 141	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	84.5	13 of 138	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	86.7	13 of 134	90.3%	★★★★★
2021	81.7	14 of 140	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	30.1	102 of 135	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	77.6	18 of 138	87.0%	★★★★☆
2017	45.8	86 of 137	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	47.3	86 of 141	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	57.4	58 of 133	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	84.0	9 of 144	93.8%	★★★★★
2012	47.6	90 of 143	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.5	77 of 141	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	81.5	12 of 150	92.0%	★★★★★
2009	58.3	68 of 144	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	43.5	85 of 135	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.0	74 of 141	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	23.7	114 of 136	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	79.3	14 of 137	89.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	72.9	35 of 164	78.7%	★★★★☆
2021	72.5	20 of 89	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	36.1	59 of 83	28.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	35 of 81	56.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	73.5	27 of 154	82.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	83.3	20 of 162	87.7%	★★★★☆
2024	87.1	12 of 107	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	91.3	6 of 96	93.8%	★★★★★
2022	87.7	10 of 87	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	84.9	8 of 89	91.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	49.0	52 of 140	62.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	77.3	23 of 158	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	76.8	22 of 125	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	15 of 121	87.6%	★★★★☆
2022	78.3	21 of 123	82.9%	★★★★☆
2021	78.4	17 of 129	86.8%	★★★★☆
2019	25.4	100 of 123	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	71.8	23 of 123	81.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)88th percentile~ school

White (2025)85th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)82nd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)79th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)63rd percentile-25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)57th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts89%+25 vs state

Science59%+10 vs state

Mathematics44%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northwestern High School - 01

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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 12th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northwestern High School - 01	Public	9-12	221 3rd St	Mellette	57461	Spink County	Northwestern Area School District 56-7	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 887-3467	91	8	11.8	14.3%	87 (95.6%)	1 (1.1%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	80.9	20^th of 166 public high schools	88.0%		85.3	16^th of 141 public high schools	88.7%	4	88.9		44.4			59.3		$14,315	$71	$14,244
iSucceed - 92	Public, Virtual	9-12	221 3rd St	Mellette	57461	Spink County	Northwestern Area School District 56-7	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(605) 887-3467	82	1	58.5	4.9%	66 (80.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.9%)	1 (1.2%)	6 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.1%)	14.7	151^st of 166 public high schools	9.0%		2.3	137^th of 141 public high schools	2.8%	14	43.5		8.7			17.4		$6,839	$23	$6,816
Warner High School - 01	Public	9-12	110 1st Ave SW	Warner	57479	Brown County	Warner School District 06-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 225-6194	85	8	10.9	9.4%	79 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.5%)	97.5	1^st of 166 public high schools	99.4%		95.1	2^nd of 141 public high schools	98.6%	1	93.8		93.8			87.5		$11,260	$65	$11,195
Turtle Creek High School - 04	Public	9-12	17267 3rd St	Redfield	57469	Spink County	Redfield School District 56-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 472-4520	8	1	8.8		5 (62.5%)	1 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Redfield High School - 01	Public	9-12	111 6th Ave E	Redfield	57469	Spink County	Redfield School District 56-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 472-4520	153	14	10.7	19.0%	139 (90.8%)	3 (2.0%)	8 (5.2%)	1 (0.7%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74.1	33^rd of 166 public high schools	80.1%		62.9	46^th of 141 public high schools	67.4%	13	66.7		55.6			55.6		$17,060	$2,371	$14,688
Redfield Virtual School - 92	Public, Virtual	9-12	111 E 6th Ave	Redfield	57469	Spink County	Redfield School District 56-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(605) 472-4520	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Central High School - 01	Public	9-12	2200 S Roosevelt St	Aberdeen	57401	Brown County	Aberdeen School District 06-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 725-8100	1,384	80	17.2	33.8%	1,022 (73.8%)	31 (2.2%)	121 (8.7%)	38 (2.7%)	93 (6.7%)	9 (0.7%)	70 (5.1%)	46.1	97^th of 166 public high schools	41.6%		30.6	108^th of 141 public high schools	23.4%	11	56.5	56.3	27.1	0.0	27.0	45.9	45.7	$10,660	$445	$10,215

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwestern High School - 01

How many students attend Northwestern High School - 01?

In the 2024-25 school year, 91 students attended Northwestern High School - 01.

What is the racial makeup of Northwestern High School - 01?

Students at Northwestern High School - 01 are 96% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Is Northwestern High School - 01 a good school?

Northwestern High School - 01 ranks 20^th of 166 South Dakota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Northwestern High School - 01 in?

Northwestern Area School District 56-7

What schools feed into Northwestern High School - 01?

Northwestern High School - 01 is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Northwestern Elementary - 04
Middle : Northwestern Middle School - 02

Rate Northwestern High School - 01!

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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.