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How has FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
785
Middle
DISTRICT 773 · STATE 495
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST ST. PAUL-MENDOTA HEIGHTS-EAGAN·NCES 274227002646
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE
701 MENDOTA HEIGHTS RD, MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN 55120 · (651) 403-7601 · Dakota County
GRADES 05–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL785 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 74% of Minnesota public middle schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-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
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.0:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
41%
323 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 48%
Community
1
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 179 | 23% |
| Grade 6 | 209 | 27% |
| Grade 7 | 195 | 25% |
| Grade 8 | 202 | 26% |
Student demographics
67%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · STATE 60% · US 70%
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
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
54.9%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
42.3%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 55 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 42 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
44.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
43.0%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% 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 FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE's state test result (44.2% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE this school | 785 | 41.1% | 44.2% |
| OAK GROVE MIDDLE BLOOMINGTON | 711 | 37.6% | 37.2% |
| Willow Creek Middle School ROCHESTER | 864 | 35.5% | 36.9% |
| Justice Page Middle MINNEAPOLIS | 1,020 | 35.7% | 47.9% |
| Shakopee West Middle School SHAKOPEE | 899 | 35.2% | 36.3% |
| Kellogg Middle School ROCHESTER | 769 | 40.6% | 38.8% |
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 FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Dakota County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 44.2% | #96 of 245 | #10 of 17 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.3% | #115 of 245 | #10 of 17 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 54.9% | #77 of 245 | #9 of 17 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 785 | #80 of 306 | #13 of 20 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.4:1 | #126 of 210 | #10 of 16 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.1% | #46 of 216 | #6 of 16 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 41.1% | #92 of 252 | #5 of 17 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.8% | #40 of 66 | #4 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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
785
+10 (+1%) vs 2020
+8% since 2000-01, when it was 727
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
was 17.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 785 | 45 | 17.4:1 | 41% (323) |
| 2023-24 | 740 | 36.4 | 20.3:1 | 45% (332) |
| 2022-23 | 735 | 53.1 | 13.8:1 | 44% (322) |
| 2020-21 | 775 | 45 | 17.2:1 | 39% (305) |
| 2017-18 | 742 | 40.9 | 18.2:1 | 32% (236) |
| 2015-16 | 727 | 43 | 16.9:1 | 31% (223) |
| 2010-11 | 609 | 36 | 16.9:1 | 34% (205) |
| 2000-01 | 727 | 42 | 17.3:1 | 13% (91) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE.
Since 2017-18: students up 6% (742 to 785); teachers up 10% (40.9 to 45).
About FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE
The public middle school FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE is located in MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minnesota. The school reports 785 students in grades 5 through 8. The school's enrollment is 59% above the 495 average for middle schools in Minnesota.
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE is one of 13 schools in West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan, which enrolls 5,452 students in total.
White students are the largest group at FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE, with 49% of enrollment. The next largest groups are 24% Hispanic, 13% Black, 9% multiracial, and 4% Asian. The school's White share is 25 points below the 74% share among Dakota County residents. By the diversity index, FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE comes in at 67%.
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE counts 45 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 17.4 students for each one. Middle schools in Minnesota have a similar average ratio of 17.5:1. About 41% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits.
The allk12 Grade for FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE is B+. Compared with Minnesota public middle schools, the school scored higher than 74% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE sits between the top and bottom 10% of Minnesota schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 44.2% and a predicted 43.0%.
County data help place the school in context: in Dakota County, median household income is about $106,318, about 45% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 4%. FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE is among the 170 public schools in Dakota County.
The closest other public school is Special Education, about 1.5 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE at 4th of 7.
NCES describes the area around FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE as Suburb: Large, meaning in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
In 2020-21, FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE enrolled 775; in 2024-25, 785.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE covering things like enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Dakota County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
445,771
Census ACS
Median income
$106,318
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
45%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
170
74,687 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan
- Two Rivers High SchoolHigh · 1,710 students
- HERITAGE E-STEM MAGNET SCHOOLMiddle · 761 students
- GARLOUGH ENVIRONMENTAL MAGNETElementary · 414 students
- SOMERSET ELEMENTARYElementary · 412 students
- PILOT KNOB STEM MAGNET SCHOOLElementary · 387 students
- MORELAND ART/HEALTH SCIENCE MAGNETElementary · 369 students
Other schools in MENDOTA HEIGHTS
- Two Rivers High SchoolHigh · 1,710 students
- SOMERSET ELEMENTARYElementary · 412 students
- MENDOTA ELEMENTARYElementary · 358 students
- Aspen House Education ProgramHigh · 6 students
- Special EducationCombined · 3 students
- W ST. PAUL AREA LEARNING CNTR.High
Nearby schools
- Special Education1.5 mi · 3
- Two Rivers High School1.5 mi · 1,710
- Aspen House Education Program1.7 mi · 6
- MENDOTA ELEMENTARY1.8 mi · 358
- GARLOUGH ENVIRONMENTAL MAGNET2.2 mi · 414
- ACADEMIC ARTS HIGH SCHOOL2.4 mi · 78
Frequently asked questions
About FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLEWhat is the total enrollment at FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE?
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE enrolls approximately 785 students in grades 05-08.
Is FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE an elementary, middle, or high school?
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE is a middle school covering grades 05-08.
How many teachers does FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE have?
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE employs 45 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.4:1.
What is the student diversity at FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE?
Student demographics at FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE are roughly 49% White, 24% Hispanic, 13% Black, 4% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Who oversees FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE?
FRIENDLY HILLS MIDDLE is overseen by West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan in Dakota County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.