Pipestone Middle, Pipestone MN - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Pipestone Middle

Pipestone Middle serves sixth through eighth graders in the Pipestone Area School District, a regular public school housed on a consolidated campus that also includes the high school. That campus sits away from the historic downtown core, which is built around red quartzite structures like the county courthouse and the Calumet Inn. Pipestone itself is a small county seat whose economy blends agriculture, meatpacking, healthcare, and tourism related to the Pipestone National Monument. The population has been slowly declining, and the housing market is more affordable than the state median, reflecting a modest cost of living.

The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, American Indian, Black, or Asian. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which points to a degree of economic diversity. The school is not a charter or magnet, and data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available from the provided records.

On state assessments, math proficiency rates for each grade were below the midpoint among Pipestone County’s two school districts, and the same was true for reading proficiency. Eighth-grade science results were notably low. These scores represent a single year of testing, and no multi-year trend is available yet because the assessment was new for the 2024-25 school year. A parent exploring the school may want to discuss these results directly with the school and ask about supports in place. Chronic absenteeism and discipline data were not supplied, so those topics are an open question.

The district has introduced standards-based grading at the middle school level, replacing traditional letter grades with a proficiency-based model aligned to Minnesota academic standards. The district has indicated plans to extend this approach to the high school in coming years, which would shift how student progress is reported across the entire secondary experience. Separately, the school board has been exploring a capital facilities project to address deferred maintenance needs at the middle and high school building, with community input sessions held and a potential bond referendum under consideration for fall 2025.

For families weighing Pipestone Middle, the setting is a small rural community with a stable but slowly shrinking population and a historic downtown. The school’s academic performance on state tests is notably below the average of the only other district in the county, and the lack of civil-rights and attendance data leaves gaps in the picture. The shift to standards-based grading and the upcoming facility decisions are two developments worth watching. The school fits a family seeking a close-knit middle school in a quiet, affordable community, but the assessment results suggest a parent will want to ask about academic intervention and enrichment programs.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 19%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 14 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 35%

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 26% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 29%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Science

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 7%

▼ 5 pts below state median

This schoolPIPESTONE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income54%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income48%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income33%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income14%Higher-income39%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income39%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income13%Higher-income23%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income11%Higher-income26%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income5%Higher-income16%10 pp gap