Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Southwest Middle School - 38

Public Grades 6-8

14^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 94% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Southwest Middle School - 38 is a high-performing public middle school located in Rapid City, South Dakota, serving 665 students in grades 6-8. The school consistently outperforms the Rapid City Area School District and the state of South Dakota in academic assessments, ranking among the top 10 middle schools in the state.

Southwest Middle School - 38 has a strong track record of academic excellence, with 67.44% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 65.95% in Mathematics for the 2024-2025 school year, significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school's exceptional performance extends across various student subgroups, including female, male, Hispanic, and special education students. Additionally, the school maintains relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, contributing to its overall success.

When compared to other middle schools in the Rapid City area, Southwest Middle School - 38 stands out as a top performer. For example, East Middle School - 30 and South Middle School - 36 have significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Southwest Middle School - 38's consistent high performance over the years, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, suggests that the school has established effective teaching and learning practices that are delivering strong academic outcomes for its diverse student population.

614

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,004

Per pupil spending ?

12.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4501 Park Dr
Rapid City, SD 57702

(605) 394-6792

District: Rapid City Area School District 51-4

Students who attend Southwest Middle School - 38 usually attend:

High:

Stevens High School - 42

Feeder schools for Southwest Middle School - 38:

Elementary:	Corral Drive Elementary - 21
	Meadowbrook Elementary - 10
	South Canyon Elementary - 15
	Woodrow Wilson Elementary - 17

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.7%

Two or more races:

9.8%

Hispanic:

6.4%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare Southwest Middle School - 38 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 96th percentile in 2015 → 94th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Dakota average (65% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of South Dakota middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Rapid City Area School District 51-4

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

District avg39%

South Dakota avg47%

14^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 6%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 5Middle Schools in the Rapid City Area School District 51-4

112^th of 147Rapid City Area School District 51-4 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	82.6	14 of 246	94.3%	★★★★★
2024	89.2	6 of 147	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	88.3	5 of 150	96.7%	★★★★★
2022	86.3	8 of 143	94.4%	★★★★★
2021	85.1	8 of 145	94.5%	★★★★★
2019	87.6	5 of 149	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	91.1	1 of 147	99.3%	★★★★★
2017	85.8	10 of 146	93.2%	★★★★★
2016	88.4	3 of 147	98.0%	★★★★★
2015	89.1	6 of 145	95.9%	★★★★★
2013	77.6	14 of 145	90.3%	★★★★★
2012	74.1	17 of 146	88.4%	★★★★☆
2011	72.6	23 of 140	83.6%	★★★★☆
2010	71.3	30 of 139	78.4%	★★★★☆
2009	70.8	30 of 139	78.4%	★★★★☆
2008	78.1	8 of 136	94.1%	★★★★★
2007	78.5	11 of 136	91.9%	★★★★★
2006	77.7	12 of 141	91.5%	★★★★★
2005	75.2	18 of 136	86.8%	★★★★☆
2004	75.9	14 of 134	89.6%	★★★★★
2003	74.7	14 of 133	89.5%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	42 of 47	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	61.6	13 of 39	66.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	21 of 117	82.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	78.1	19 of 229	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	87.6	5 of 107	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	81.3	10 of 112	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	81.4	8 of 102	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	80.7	7 of 113	93.8%	★★★★★
2019	83.2	7 of 107	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	90.3	1 of 99	99.0%	★★★★★

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	34.1	24 of 47	48.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	80.2	7 of 117	94.0%	★★★★★
2024	80.8	4 of 26	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.5	2 of 24	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	77.1	2 of 19	89.5%	★★★★★
2019	83.5	2 of 21	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	91.9	1 of 17	94.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	48.7	93 of 187	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	31 of 65	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.4	16 of 70	77.1%	★★★★☆
2022	51.7	21 of 46	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.0	27 of 63	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.1	13 of 79	83.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.2	5 of 71	93.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	80.7	18 of 233	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	89.9	4 of 115	96.5%	★★★★★
2023	92.3	3 of 116	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	85.9	4 of 104	96.2%	★★★★★
2021	86.3	5 of 115	95.7%	★★★★★
2019	86.4	5 of 110	95.5%	★★★★★
2018	90.0	3 of 111	97.3%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	67.6	5 of 32	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	1 of 4	75.0%	★★★★★
2023	73.9	2 of 6	66.7%	★★★★☆
2022	89.1	1 of 5	80.0%	★★★★★
2021	91.4	1 of 7	85.7%	★★★★★
2019	82.6	1 of 3	66.7%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	68.4	17 of 115	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	90.0	1 of 22	95.5%	★★★★★
2023	87.4	1 of 21	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	78.6	1 of 19	94.7%	★★★★★
2021	81.2	2 of 18	88.9%	★★★★★
2019	84.2	1 of 14	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	91.9	1 of 14	92.9%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	60.2	21 of 111	81.1%	★★★★☆
2022	20.5	23 of 24	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	51.2	7 of 25	72.0%	★★★★☆
2019	46.7	12 of 29	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	76.4	7 of 181	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	72.8	5 of 29	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	88.9	2 of 27	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	66.3	6 of 25	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	86.5	2 of 32	93.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	81.3	14 of 230	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	90.2	5 of 132	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	89.0	3 of 136	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	87.2	6 of 132	95.5%	★★★★★
2021	84.6	6 of 136	95.6%	★★★★★
2019	86.9	6 of 136	95.6%	★★★★★
2018	90.3	3 of 131	97.7%	★★★★★

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)96th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)94th percentile~ school

White (2025)94th percentile~ school

Male (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)92nd percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)85th percentile-9 vs school

Military Connected (2025)84th percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)82nd percentile-12 vs school

Native American (2025)81st percentile-13 vs school

Asian (2025)67th percentile-28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile-44 vs school

Foster Care (2025)49th percentile-45 vs school

African American (2025)11th percentile-84 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts67%+17 vs state

Mathematics66%+22 vs state

Science57%+14 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Southwest Middle School - 38 and help other families decide.

Rate Southwest Middle School - 38

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Southwest Middle School - 38

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
Southwest Middle School - 38	Public	6-8	4501 Park Dr	Rapid City	57702	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 394-6792	614	38	16.2	12.9%	471 (76.7%)	4 (0.7%)	39 (6.4%)	16 (2.6%)	22 (3.6%)	2 (0.3%)	60 (9.8%)	82.6	14^th of 246 public middle schools	94.3%		89.2	6^th of 147 public middle schools	95.9%	8		64.4	71.4	66.5	67.4		62.9	69.0	66.0	66.0		56.9		$12,004	$628	$11,376
West Middle School - 37	Public	6-8	1003 Soo San Dr	Rapid City	57702	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 394-4033	591	38	15.4	27.2%	421 (71.2%)	6 (1.0%)	55 (9.3%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (11.5%)	56.3	108^th of 246 public middle schools	56.1%		46.4	86^th of 147 public middle schools	41.5%	22		55.9	40.4	52.9	49.6		43.6	36.3	46.0	41.9		38.0		$12,565	$631	$11,934
South Middle School - 36	Public	6-8	2 Indiana St	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 394-4024	618	45	13.6	60.5%	280 (45.3%)	12 (1.9%)	73 (11.8%)	6 (1.0%)	141 (22.8%)	0 (0.0%)	106 (17.2%)	34.2	176^th of 246 public middle schools	28.5%		18.3	129^th of 147 public middle schools	12.2%	47		41.9	32.8	39.0	38.0		24.9	20.7	18.7	21.6		29.1		$12,597	$621	$11,976
North Middle School - 35	Public	6-8	1501 N Maple St	Rapid City	57701	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 394-4042	418	35	12.0	100.0%	87 (20.8%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (15.3%)	6 (1.4%)	204 (48.8%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (13.4%)	20	209^th of 246 public middle schools	15.0%		6	142^nd of 147 public middle schools	3.4%	67		7.2	26.8	22.1	18.4		6.5	17.3	19.9	14.4		23.7		$13,697	$1,382	$12,315
East Middle School - 30	Public	6-8	4860 Homestead St	Rapid City	57703	Pennington County	Rapid City Area School District 51-4	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 394-4092	613	39	15.7	41.4%	384 (62.6%)	7 (1.1%)	69 (11.3%)	7 (1.1%)	55 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (14.8%)	44.4	156^th of 246 public middle schools	36.6%		29.1	111^th of 147 public middle schools	24.5%	45		30.8	40.3	40.6	37.0		37.5	27.3	44.2	35.7		42.4		$11,586	$648	$10,938
Stagebarn Middle School - 10	Public	5-8	12500 Sturgis Rd	Summerset	57769	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 787-4172	432	31	13.8	28.2%	363 (84.0%)	2 (0.5%)	24 (5.6%)	4 (0.9%)	16 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.1%)	62	88^th of 246 public middle schools	64.2%		51.3	75^th of 147 public middle schools	49.0%	13	47.9	39.8	56.3	54.4	49.5	39.3	33.0	60.2	44.7	44.1	43.6	55.3	49.1	$10,504	$214	$10,290
Douglas Middle School - 01	Public	6-8	691 Tower Rd	Box Elder	57719	Pennington County	Douglas School District 51-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 923-0050	633	45	14.1	37.8%	410 (64.8%)	11 (1.7%)	77 (12.2%)	5 (0.8%)	47 (7.4%)	1 (0.2%)	82 (13.0%)	43.6	157^th of 246 public middle schools	36.2%		34.1	105^th of 147 public middle schools	28.6%	52		42.2	50.8	44.7	45.7		26.6	36.6	21.6	28.2		31.6		$11,637	$790	$10,847
Hermosa Middle School - 07	Public	7-8	11 4th St	Hermosa	57744	Custer County	Custer School District 16-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(605) 255-4345	48	5	9.0	31.3%	40 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.3%)	2 (4.2%)	2 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.1%)	51.1	130^th of 246 public middle schools	47.2%					(n/a)			71.4	38.5	53.2			38.1	26.9	31.9		34.6		$15,464	$445	$15,018
Hill City Middle School - 04	Public	6-8	341 Main St	Hill City	57745	Pennington County	Hill City School District 51-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 574-3025	115	5	21.1	28.7%	76 (66.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (22.6%)	3 (2.6%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.0%)	57.4	102^nd of 246 public middle schools	58.5%		51.2	76^th of 147 public middle schools	48.3%	26		64.3	52.0	48.7	55.8		47.6	28.0	24.3	34.6		45.9		$11,167	$316	$10,851

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Middle School - 38

What high school do graduates of Southwest Middle School - 38 attend?

Students who attend Southwest Middle School - 38 usually go on to attend Stevens High School - 42

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Middle School - 38?

Students at Southwest Middle School - 38 are 77% White, 10% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 3% Asian.

What district is Southwest Middle School - 38 in?

Rapid City Area School District 51-4

Is Southwest Middle School - 38 a good school?

Yes. Southwest Middle School - 38 ranks in the top 5.7% of South Dakota middle schools.

How many students attend Southwest Middle School - 38?

In the 2024-25 school year, 614 students attended Southwest Middle School - 38.

Rate Southwest Middle School - 38!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SDSouth Dakota Middle School Rankings

SDSouth Dakota District Rankings

Schools in Rapid City, SD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Southwest Middle School - 38!

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.