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Northwestern Middle School - 02

Q: Is Northwestern Middle School - 02 a good school?

Northwestern Middle School - 02 ranks 48 th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

48^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 80% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Northwestern Middle School - 02 is a small public middle school in Mellette, South Dakota, serving grades 6-8 with just 59 students. Despite its size, the school has consistently maintained a strong 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, outperforming the state and district averages in academic achievement.

The school's academic performance is particularly noteworthy, with students consistently scoring above the state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. In the 2024-2025 school year, 66.67% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 50.93%, and 47.37% were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 43.49%. The school's 8th grade Science proficiency rate of 56.25% also exceeds the state average of 42.51%. This strong academic performance has earned Northwestern Middle School - 02 a top 50 ranking among middle schools in the state.

While the school's overall performance is impressive, it is particularly noteworthy for its exceptional results with certain student subgroups. Northwestern Area School District 56-7, which the school is a part of, has a relatively high per-student spending of $12,111 and a low student-teacher ratio of 13.3, which may contribute to the school's ability to support all students. However, the school's performance for its Low Socioeconomic Status student subgroup is relatively lower, suggesting that the school may need to focus more on supporting this group to ensure equitable outcomes for all students.

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,403

Per pupil spending ?

16.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

221 3rd St
Mellette, SD 57461

(605) 887-3467

District: Northwestern Area School District 56-7

Students who attend Northwestern Middle School - 02 usually attend:

High:

Northwestern High School - 01

Feeder schools for Northwestern Middle School - 02:

Elementary:

Northwestern Elementary - 04

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.3%

Hispanic:

5.4%

American Indian:

3.6%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare Northwestern Middle School - 02 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 60th percentile in 2015 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (57% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of South Dakota middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 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 school57%

District avg47%

South Dakota avg47%

48^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to top 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle 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	71.4	48 of 246	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	79.3	21 of 147	85.7%	★★★★☆
2023	55.3	67 of 150	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.1	36 of 143	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	70.7	28 of 145	80.7%	★★★★☆
2019	63.1	49 of 149	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.0	34 of 147	76.9%	★★★★☆
2017	61.5	52 of 146	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	45.8	92 of 147	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	55.9	58 of 145	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.9	73 of 145	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	42.6	100 of 146	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.6	86 of 140	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.8	84 of 139	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.1	100 of 139	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	59.0	67 of 136	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.0	61 of 136	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.0	54 of 141	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	66.6	36 of 136	73.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	68.5	45 of 229	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	44.8	69 of 112	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	63.4	33 of 102	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.1	39 of 113	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.9	51 of 99	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	120 of 187	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	66.6	55 of 233	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	75.0	17 of 115	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	55.3	48 of 116	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.3	26 of 104	75.0%	★★★★☆
2019	97.3	1 of 110	99.1%	★★★★★
2018	85.6	5 of 111	95.5%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	70.0	14 of 111	87.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	85.2	2 of 181	98.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	65.0	67 of 230	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	31 of 132	76.5%	★★★★☆
2023	43.2	84 of 136	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.3	51 of 132	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.3	43 of 136	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.9	56 of 136	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.3	51 of 131	61.1%	★★★☆☆

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)99th percentile+18 vs school

Native American (2025)87th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)80th percentile~ school

Male (2025)76th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)71st percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)36th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts67%+16 vs state

Science56%+14 vs state

Mathematics47%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northwestern Middle School - 02

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 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
Northwestern Middle School - 02	Public	6-8	221 3rd St	Mellette	57461	Spink County	Northwestern Area School District 56-7	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 887-3467	56	4	12.5	16.1%	50 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)	71.4	48^th of 246 public middle schools	80.5%		79.3	21^st of 147 public middle schools	85.7%	27	68.8	68.0	62.5	66.7	75.0	40.0	31.3	47.4	56.3	$12,403	$101	$12,302
iSucceed Middle School - 93	Public, Virtual	6-8	221 3rd St	Mellette	57461	Spink County	Northwestern Area School District 56-7	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(605) 887-3467	7	0	36.8		6 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (14.3%)	25.6	192^nd of 246 public middle schools	22.0%					(n/a)		100.0	0.0	33.3		33.3	0.0	11.1	0.0
Warner Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	110 1st Ave SW	Warner	57479	Brown County	Warner School District 06-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 225-6194	83	5	17.1	9.6%	76 (91.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.0%)	88.2	6^th of 246 public middle schools	97.6%		91.6	5^th of 147 public middle schools	96.6%	1	75.9	69.2	82.1	75.9	65.5	65.4	71.4	67.5	75.0	$9,561	$31	$9,530
Turtle Creek Elementary School - 06	Public	2-8	17267 3rd St	Redfield	57469	Spink County	Redfield School District 56-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 472-4520	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Redfield Middle School - 02	Public	6-8	111 6th Ave E	Redfield	57469	Spink County	Redfield School District 56-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 472-4520	91	10	8.7	28.6%	80 (87.9%)	3 (3.3%)	3 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.3%)	48.3	138^th of 246 public middle schools	43.9%		24.9	117^th of 147 public middle schools	20.4%	21	53.3	26.9	38.2	40.0	50.0	23.1	35.3	36.7	41.2	$14,646	$256	$14,390

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwestern Middle School - 02

What is the racial makeup of Northwestern Middle School - 02?

Students at Northwestern Middle School - 02 are 89% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Northwestern Middle School - 02 attend?

Students who attend Northwestern Middle School - 02 usually go on to attend Northwestern High School - 01

Is Northwestern Middle School - 02 a good school?

Northwestern Middle School - 02 ranks 48^th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Northwestern Middle School - 02 in?

Northwestern Area School District 56-7

How many students attend Northwestern Middle School - 02?

In the 2024-25 school year, 56 students attended Northwestern Middle School - 02.

Rate Northwestern Middle School - 02!

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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.