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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ROCHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 273180005406

Dakota Middle School

5501 65TH ST NW, ROCHESTER, MN 55901 · (507) 328-4530 · Olmsted County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL921 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 31% of Minnesota public middle schools
  • C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Minnesota public middle schools

Enrollment
921
Middle
DISTRICT 505 · STATE 495
Student : Teacher
,
0 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 7.2:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
38%
351 students
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 630333%
Grade 730333%
Grade 831534%
Student demographics
69%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 60% · US 70%
White
45249%
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 60% · US 43%
Hispanic
809%
DISTRICT 13% · STATE 12% · US 30%
Black
17319%
DISTRICT 16% · STATE 12% · US 15%
Asian
12814%
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 7% · US 6%
Two+
839%
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 7% · US 5%
Native American
51%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 2% · US 1%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
47151%
Female
45049%

Discussions

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Test scores

MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds Standards
English Language Arts
47.1%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
27.2%
MN avg 45.3%

What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.

Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
36.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.6%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.4pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 36% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 45% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Dakota Middle School

Dakota Middle School's state test result (36.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Dakota Middle School this school92138.1%36.2%
John Adams Middle School
ROCHESTER
86737.4%34.4%
Osseo Middle School
OSSEO
1,12835.5%44.3%
Northdale Middle
COON RAPIDS
1,10841.2%48.0%
Shakopee East Middle School
SHAKOPEE
82842.9%37.9%
Mariner Middle School
WHITE BEAR LAKE
88138.9%40.1%
Matched among Minnesota middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Dakota Middle School ranks

Among middle schools
MeasureThis schoolIn MinnesotaIn Olmsted County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
36.2%#163 of 245#5 of 7
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
27.2%#189 of 245#7 of 7
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
47.1%#136 of 245#2 of 7
Enrollment
ranked largest first
921#52 of 306#1 of 9
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
68.9%#36 of 216#1 of 7
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
38.1%#110 of 252#2 of 7
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-25921N/AN/A38% (351)
2023-241,00355.418.1:143% (432)
2022-2396725.338.2:142% (410)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dakota Middle School.

About Dakota Middle School

Dakota Middle School operates as a large middle school in ROCHESTER, Minnesota. Students in grades 6 through 8 attend the school, which enrolls 921 students. For comparison, middle schools in Minnesota average about 495 students.

Dakota Middle School is run by Rochester Public School District, whose 47 schools enroll 17,430 students.

White students form the largest group at Dakota Middle School, 49% of enrollment. Next come 19% Black, 14% Asian, 9% multiracial, and 9% Hispanic. That compares with about 77% White among all Olmsted County residents. By the diversity index, Dakota Middle School comes in at 69%.

Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 38% in 2024-25. That is close to the 35% average for public schools in Olmsted County.

The allk12 Grade for Dakota Middle School is C. Compared with Minnesota public middle schools, the school scored higher than 31% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Dakota Middle School is -8.4 points: 36.2% actual, 44.6% predicted.

Census Bureau estimates for Olmsted County show that median household income is about $95,406, 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. A total of 72 public schools operate in Olmsted County, serving about 24,627 students.

Gibbs Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Its average proficiency rate of 36.2% is below the 39.3% average for nearby schools.

The federal government classifies Dakota Middle School's location as Rural: Fringe.

Community posts for Dakota Middle School can cover sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.

Olmsted County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
164,498
Census ACS
Median income
$95,406
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
49%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
72
24,627 students

Quick facts

School name
Dakota Middle School
District
Rochester Public School District
Address
5501 65TH ST NW, ROCHESTER, MN 55901
Phone
(507) 328-4530
County
Olmsted County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
921
Teachers (FTE)
0
Free and reduced lunch
351 (38%)
Locale
41-Rural: Fringe
NCES ID
273180005406
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Rochester Public School District
Other schools in ROCHESTER
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Dakota Middle School
What is the total enrollment at Dakota Middle School?
Dakota Middle School enrolls approximately 921 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Dakota Middle School serve?
Dakota Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Dakota Middle School?
Approximately unreported students per teacher at Dakota Middle School.
How diverse is Dakota Middle School?
Dakota Middle School reports a student body of 49% White, 9% Hispanic, 19% Black, 14% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is Dakota Middle School in?
Dakota Middle School is part of Rochester Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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