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Willow Lake Middle School - 03

Q: Is Willow Lake Middle School - 03 a good school?

Willow Lake Middle School - 03 ranks 128 th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

128^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 246 South Dakota Middle Schools

Better than 48% of South Dakota middle schools

Summary

Willow Lake Middle School - 03 is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Willow Lake, South Dakota, with a total enrollment of 63 students. The school is part of the Willow Lake School District 12-3, which is ranked 131 out of 147 school districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Willow Lake Middle School - 03 has generally performed better than its district and the state average in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 41.51% of students proficient or better in ELA, compared to 38.6% for the district and 50.93% for the state. However, the school has also struggled with relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 10.0% to 22.2% over the past few years, which is higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 5.56% in 2021-2022 to 34.92% in 2023-2024.

Compared to nearby schools, Willow Lake Middle School - 03 generally outperforms Henry Middle School - 03 and Clark Middle School - 03 in both ELA and Mathematics, but lags behind the higher-performing Hamlin Middle School - 02 and De Smet Middle School - 03. The school's relatively high student-teacher ratio and increasing free and reduced-price lunch rates suggest that it may be facing resource constraints, which could be impacting its performance.

Students ?

20.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,590

Per pupil spending ?

38.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 Garfield Ave
Willow Lake, SD 57278

(605) 625-5945

District: Willow Lake School District 12-3

Students who attend Willow Lake Middle School - 03 usually attend:

High:

Willow Lake High School - 01

Feeder schools for Willow Lake Middle School - 03:

Elementary:

Willow Lake Elementary - 02

Racial breakdown:

White:

98.1%

Hispanic:

1.9%

See top rated South Dakota middle schools

Compare Willow Lake Middle School - 03 to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 52nd percentile in 2013 → 48th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Dakota average (42% vs 47% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 18 pts below the South Dakota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg37%

South Dakota avg47%

128^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 40 pts since 2016

From top 12% (2016) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

131^st of 147Willow Lake School District 12-3 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	51.3	128 of 246	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.2	40 of 147	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	48.8	83 of 150	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.0	49 of 143	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.3	67 of 145	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.3	98 of 149	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	72.0	27 of 147	81.6%	★★★★☆
2017	56.2	65 of 146	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	79.0	18 of 147	87.8%	★★★★☆
2013	57.1	69 of 145	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	17.7	134 of 146	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	38.5	105 of 140	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	38.2	111 of 139	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	59.8	65 of 136	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.3	55 of 136	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	82.6	6 of 141	95.7%	★★★★★
2005	81.5	9 of 136	93.4%	★★★★★
2004	88.4	1 of 134	99.3%	★★★★★
2003	54.6	68 of 133	48.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	56.2	101 of 229	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.8	17 of 107	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	57.0	53 of 112	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.2	37 of 113	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	20.1	99 of 117	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	82 of 187	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	39.8	154 of 233	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.0	48 of 115	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.6	60 of 110	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.4	32 of 111	71.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	53.1	58 of 181	68.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Dakota percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	134 of 230	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.6	51 of 132	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.1	80 of 136	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.1	52 of 132	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.6	75 of 136	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.5	94 of 136	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	89.4	5 of 131	96.2%	★★★★★

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)68th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)56th percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)42nd percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)34th percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics47%+4 vs state

English Language Arts42%-9 vs state

Science25%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willow Lake Middle School - 03

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
Willow Lake Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	400 Garfield Ave	Willow Lake	57278	Clark County	Willow Lake School District 12-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 625-5945	54	3	20.6	38.9%	53 (98.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51.3	128^th of 246 public middle schools	48.0%		65.2	40^th of 147 public middle schools	72.8%	88	31.3	42.9	50.0	41.5	50.0	42.9	50.0	47.2	25.0	$9,590	$102	$9,489
Hamlin Middle School - 02	Public	6-8	44577 188th St	Hayti	57241	Hamlin County	Hamlin School District 28-3	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 783-3644	198	10	19.0	30.3%	183 (92.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	66.7	70^th of 246 public middle schools	71.5%		63.4	45^th of 147 public middle schools	69.4%	25	47.8	59.3	52.1	52.6	62.7	57.4	52.1	57.2	37.0	$7,441	$40	$7,401
De Smet Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	405 3rd St SW	De Smet	57231	Kingsbury County	De Smet School District 38-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 854-3423	91	6	16.3	25.3%	82 (90.1%)	2 (2.2%)	5 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)	72.9	44^th of 246 public middle schools	82.1%		41.8	95^th of 147 public middle schools	35.4%	51	75.0	76.7	53.1	67.8	67.9	46.7	43.8	52.2	43.8	$12,660	$68	$12,592
Clark Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	220 N Clinton St	Clark	57225	Clark County	Clark School District 12-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 532-3604	72	7	9.9	25.0%	61 (84.7%)	1 (1.4%)	5 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.9%)	38.9	170^th of 246 public middle schools	30.9%		24.7	118^th of 147 public middle schools	19.7%	52	38.5	31.6	35.7	35.6	38.5	36.8	28.6	34.3	21.4	$12,038	$34	$12,004
Henry Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	111 N Cedar	Henry	57243	Codington County	Henry School District 14-2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 532-5364	45	4	12.6	42.2%	45 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18.7	211^th of 246 public middle schools	14.2%		6.8	140^th of 147 public middle schools	4.8%	71	35.7	21.4	12.5	22.7	28.6	14.3	0.0	13.6	0.0	$15,297	$00	$15,297

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Lake Middle School - 03

What high school do graduates of Willow Lake Middle School - 03 attend?

Students who attend Willow Lake Middle School - 03 usually go on to attend Willow Lake High School - 01

What is the racial makeup of Willow Lake Middle School - 03?

Students at Willow Lake Middle School - 03 are 98% White, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend Willow Lake Middle School - 03?

In the 2024-25 school year, 54 students attended Willow Lake Middle School - 03.

What district is Willow Lake Middle School - 03 in?

Willow Lake School District 12-3

Is Willow Lake Middle School - 03 a good school?

Willow Lake Middle School - 03 ranks 128^th of 246 South Dakota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Willow Lake Middle School - 03!

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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.