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George McGovern Middle School -09

Q: Is George McGovern Middle School -09 a good school?

George McGovern Middle School -09 ranks 180 th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Q: How many students attend George McGovern Middle School -09?

In the 2024-25 school year, 780 students attended George McGovern Middle School -09.

Q: What is the racial makeup of George McGovern Middle School -09?

Students at George McGovern Middle School -09 are 38% White, 29% Hispanic, 16% African American, 8% Two or more races, 8% American Indian.

Public Grades 6-8

180^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 27% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

George McGovern Middle School -09 is a public middle school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, serving grades 6-8 with an enrollment of 747 students. The school is part of the Sioux Falls School District 49-5, which is ranked 90 out of 147 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

George McGovern Middle School -09 consistently underperforms compared to the Sioux Falls School District and the state of South Dakota in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 32.02% of all students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 49.18% for the district and 50.93% for the state. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rate was 24.75%, while the district and state were at 42.76% and 43.49%, respectively. Additionally, the school has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average, with a rate of 20.2% in the 2024-2025 school year, while the state average was lower at 18.5%.

When comparing George McGovern Middle School -09 to other nearby middle schools in the Sioux Falls area, such as Memorial Middle School -04 and Patrick Henry Middle School -07, it consistently underperforms in academic proficiency and has higher chronic absenteeism rates. The school's higher per-student spending and its location within a lower-performing school district suggest that factors beyond just funding, such as school leadership, teacher quality, and community engagement, may be contributing to the school's underperformance.

780

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,677

Per pupil spending ?

75.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6221 W Maple St
Sioux Falls, SD 57107

(605) 367-4440

District: Sioux Falls School District 49-5

Students who attend George McGovern Middle School -09 usually attend:

High:

Jefferson High School - 67

Feeder schools for George McGovern Middle School -09:

Elementary:	Garfield Elementary - 19
	Hayward Elementary - 38
	Lowell Elementary - 28

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.1%

Hispanic:

28.8%

African American:

16.0%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare George McGovern Middle School -09 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2018 → 27th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2018

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Dakota average (29% vs 47% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 20% South Dakota)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg46%

South Dakota avg47%

180^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▲ up 17 pts since 2018

From bottom 10% (2018) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Middle Schools in the Sioux Falls School District 49-5

90^th of 147Sioux Falls School District 49-5 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	33.4	180 of 246	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	133 of 147	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	139 of 150	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.6	141 of 143	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.0	144 of 145	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.2	146 of 149	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.9	133 of 147	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	45.2	22 of 47	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.8	5 of 8	37.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	26.3	8 of 9	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.7	6 of 7	14.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	7.3	8 of 8	0.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.1	6 of 6	0.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.3	5 of 5	0.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.2	30 of 39	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	41.1	61 of 117	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.2	5 of 7	28.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	19.4	6 of 6	0.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.5	3 of 4	25.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	173 of 229	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	102 of 107	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	106 of 112	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.5	98 of 102	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.2	113 of 113	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.5	104 of 107	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	87 of 99	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	15 of 47	68.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	36.5	85 of 117	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	21 of 26	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	24 of 24	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	19 of 19	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	21 of 23	8.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.5	20 of 21	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	17 of 17	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	16 of 29	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.1	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆
2018	16.3	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	142 of 187	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	53 of 65	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.1	64 of 70	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.7	46 of 46	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	62 of 63	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.6	76 of 79	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	59 of 71	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	162 of 233	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.4	103 of 115	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	109 of 116	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.4	102 of 104	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.9	114 of 115	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	107 of 110	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	101 of 111	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	15 of 17	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	14 of 32	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	6.4	7 of 7	0.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	78 of 115	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	13.5	21 of 22	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	21 of 21	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.3	19 of 19	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	16 of 18	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	14 of 14	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	11 of 14	21.4%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	37.1	71 of 111	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.8	26 of 31	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	25 of 29	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	25 of 30	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	21.8	16 of 16	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	36.5	121 of 181	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	21 of 29	27.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.2	8 of 32	75.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	46.5	133 of 230	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.2	104 of 132	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	125 of 136	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.8	129 of 132	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.5	136 of 136	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	134 of 136	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	114 of 131	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Foster Care (2025)68th percentile+41 vs school

Military Connected (2025)56th percentile+29 vs school

African American (2025)53rd percentile+26 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)48th percentile+21 vs school

Homeless (2025)45th percentile+18 vs school

White (2025)42nd percentile+15 vs school

Native American (2025)36th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2025)33rd percentile+6 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)32nd percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)30th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)27th percentile~ school

Female (2025)24th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)23rd percentile-4 vs school

Migrant (2025)12th percentile-15 vs school

Pacific Islander (2025)<1st percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Science34%-9 vs state

English Language Arts32%-19 vs state

Mathematics25%-19 vs state

3.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, August 12, 2022

literally a hell hole. some of the teachers were really cool, but the disciplinary action towards the kids who literally JUMPED/DANCED on tables, fought, screamed, etc. was terrible. certain teachers would care and would simply quit teaching to let the students do what they wanted. a lot of the people there sucked. Close Quote

Schools Near George McGovern Middle School -09

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
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
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)
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
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
Harrisburg North Middle School - 08	Public	6-8	2201 W 95th St	Sioux Falls	57108	Lincoln County	Harrisburg School District 41-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 743-2567	534	43	12.3	15.9%	417 (78.1%)	25 (4.7%)	31 (5.8%)	18 (3.4%)	9 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	32 (6.0%)	80	24^th of 246 public middle schools	90.2%		67.4	35^th of 147 public middle schools	76.2%	11	66.9	73.2	67.9	69.3	54.9	56.4	60.7	57.3	58.9	$12,124	$235	$11,889
Harrisburg East Middle School - 11	Public	6-8	3001 E Bison Trail	Sioux Falls	57108	Lincoln County	Harrisburg School District 41-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(605) 743-2567	428	35	12.1	20.6%	339 (79.2%)	27 (6.3%)	27 (6.3%)	14 (3.3%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.5%)	62.5	87^th of 246 public middle schools	64.6%					(n/a)	53.2	61.4	51.0	55.1	41.8	47.9	39.1	42.8	47.7	$12,672	$240	$12,432

Frequently Asked Questions about George McGovern Middle School -09

What high school do graduates of George McGovern Middle School -09 attend?

Students who attend George McGovern Middle School -09 usually go on to attend Jefferson High School - 67

How many students attend George McGovern Middle School -09?

In the 2024-25 school year, 780 students attended George McGovern Middle School -09.

What is the racial makeup of George McGovern Middle School -09?

Students at George McGovern Middle School -09 are 38% White, 29% Hispanic, 16% African American, 8% Two or more races, 8% American Indian.

What district is George McGovern Middle School -09 in?

Sioux Falls School District 49-5

Is George McGovern Middle School -09 a good school?

George McGovern Middle School -09 ranks 180^th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate George McGovern Middle School -09!

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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.