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Ben Reifel Middle School - 68

Q: Is Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 a good school?

Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 ranks 72 nd of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

72^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 71% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 is a public middle school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, serving 959 students in grades 6-8 and part of the Sioux Falls School District 49-5.

Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 consistently outperforms the Sioux Falls School District and the state of South Dakota in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. In the 2024-2025 school year, 57.46% of students were proficient or better in ELA and 47.33% in Mathematics, compared to the district's 49.18% in ELA and 42.76% in Mathematics, and the state's 50.93% in ELA and 43.49% in Mathematics. The school's performance in these subjects has been improving over the past three years. Additionally, the school has strong performance across various student subgroups, ranking in the top 50% of South Dakota middle schools in their respective categories.

However, Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 faces challenges with chronic absenteeism, with a rate of 20.2% in 2024-2025, which is higher than the state average. The school also serves a relatively high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, around 40% in recent years, which is higher than the state average. While the school's per-student spending has increased over the past three years, reaching $11,875 in 2023-2024, it is still below the spending levels of some of the higher-performing nearby schools, such as Harrisburg South Middle School - 03 and Brandon Valley Middle School - 02, which are ranked among the top 50 middle schools in the state.

885

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,305

Per pupil spending ?

44.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6700 E 41st St
Sioux Falls, SD 57110

(605) 371-4155

District: Sioux Falls School District 49-5

Students who attend Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 usually attend:

High:

Washington High School - 01

Feeder schools for Ben Reifel Middle School - 68:

Elementary:	Cleveland Elementary - 14
	Harvey Dunn Elementary - 54
	Rosa Parks Elementary - 15

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.0%

African American:

14.2%

Hispanic:

12.2%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 41st percentile in 2023 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2023

✓Above the South Dakota median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg46%

South Dakota avg47%

72^nd of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Top 29%▲ up 30 pts since 2023

From bottom 41% (2023) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	66.5	72 of 246	70.7%	★★★★☆
2024	52.2	72 of 147	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.6	89 of 150	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	60.9	11 of 47	76.6%	★★★★☆
2024	40.9	4 of 8	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.5	6 of 9	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	31.0	31 of 39	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	46.8	41 of 117	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	26.9	6 of 7	14.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.3	4 of 6	33.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	63.1	67 of 229	70.7%	★★★★☆
2024	52.2	55 of 107	48.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.6	65 of 112	42.0%	★★☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	39.2	22 of 47	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	56.4	28 of 117	76.1%	★★★★☆
2024	56.7	6 of 26	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	33.8	18 of 24	25.0%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	50.4	10 of 29	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	59.1	56 of 187	70.1%	★★★★☆
2024	48.7	34 of 65	47.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.0	43 of 70	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	64.4	67 of 233	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	49.9	58 of 115	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.0	77 of 116	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	11 of 17	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	43.3	19 of 32	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	75 of 115	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	14 of 22	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.0	19 of 21	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	72.1	13 of 111	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	61.3	4 of 27	85.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	57.1	49 of 181	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	16.7	28 of 29	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	23 of 27	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	74.5	32 of 230	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	65.1	35 of 132	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	64.6	38 of 136	72.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Native American (2025)88th percentile+18 vs school

White (2025)86th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2025)77th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)76th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)73rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)71st percentile~ school

Female (2025)71st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)66th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)65th percentile-6 vs school

Foster Care (2025)53rd percentile-18 vs school

Military Connected (2025)41st percentile-30 vs school

Migrant (2025)35th percentile-35 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)35th percentile-36 vs school

Asian (2025)21st percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts57%+7 vs state

Mathematics47%+4 vs state

Science47%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ben Reifel Middle School - 68

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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ben Reifel Middle School - 68	Public	6-8	6700 E 41st St	Sioux Falls	57110	Minnehaha County	Sioux Falls School District 49-5	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 371-4155	885	62	14.2	44.5%	531 (60.0%)	126 (14.2%)	108 (12.2%)	20 (2.3%)	27 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (8.2%)	66.5	72^nd of 246 public middle schools	70.7%		52.2	72^nd of 147 public middle schools	51.0%			57.6	56.8	58.0	57.5		44.2	50.8	46.7	47.3		47.3	$12,305	$608	$11,698
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
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
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)
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
Brandon Valley Intermediate - 07	Public	5-6	201 W Park St	Brandon	57005	Minnehaha County	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 582-6035	829	47	17.6	20.6%	655 (79.0%)	48 (5.8%)	60 (7.2%)	12 (1.4%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	47 (5.7%)								(n/a)	75.2	74.2			74.7	64.7	75.2			69.8	68.0		$9,750	$242	$9,509
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
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
Brandon Valley Middle School - 02	Public	7-8	700 Holly Blvd	Brandon	57005	Minnehaha County	Brandon Valley School District 49-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 582-3214	759	44	17.3	18.3%	631 (83.1%)	37 (4.9%)	35 (4.6%)	13 (1.7%)	6 (0.8%)	5 (0.7%)	32 (4.2%)	82.5	15^th of 246 public middle schools	93.9%		87.1	10^th of 147 public middle schools	93.2%	5			77.3	69.2	73.4			66.4	53.5	60.2		57.1	$9,715	$242	$9,473
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Reifel Middle School - 68

What is the racial makeup of Ben Reifel Middle School - 68?

Students at Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 are 60% White, 14% African American, 12% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

What district is Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 in?

Sioux Falls School District 49-5

What high school do graduates of Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 attend?

Students who attend Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 usually go on to attend Washington High School - 01

How many students attend Ben Reifel Middle School - 68?

In the 2024-25 school year, 885 students attended Ben Reifel Middle School - 68.

Is Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 a good school?

Ben Reifel Middle School - 68 ranks 72^nd of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Ben Reifel Middle School - 68!

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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.