Mcguire Middle, Lakeville MN - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mcguire Middle

McGuire Middle is a regular public school in Lakeville, Minnesota, serving sixth through eighth grade as part of Lakeville Area Schools. Lakeville sits in Dakota County as an outer-ring exurb of the Twin Cities, a fast-growing area with a family-oriented character, extensive parks and trails, and a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial parks. The school’s academic performance, based on the most recent state assessments, shows a pattern of solid results that place it among the stronger middle schools in the county.

In the 2024-25 school year, math proficiency rates varied by grade level, with the highest share of students meeting standards in eighth grade and a lower share in seventh grade. Reading proficiency followed a similar grade-level pattern, with the strongest performance in sixth grade and a more modest showing by eighth grade. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the top quarter of districts in Dakota County, a competitive field of sixteen reporting entities. Science results, available only for eighth grade, were lower, though the state assessment for that subject underwent changes in both the test name and cut scores, making direct comparison to prior years uncertain; a family may want to ask the school how they support science learning in the context of those changes.

The student body of just under a thousand is predominantly white, with smaller but present shares of students who identify as Hispanic, Black, Asian, or two or more races. Slightly more than one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that reflects a middle-income community overall. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the source material, so a parent looking into special education services or language support should follow up directly with the school.

The community context matters for families considering the area. Home values and rents in Lakeville are above the national median, and the city has been growing steadily as development pushes outward from the metro core. The district recently approved attendance area adjustments for the 2026-27 school year, tied to the opening of a ninth elementary school, so which middle school a student attends depends on updated boundary maps. High school boundaries were not changed by this adjustment.

Several dimensions of school life are not captured in the available data. There is no reported information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or specific program offerings such as advanced coursework, arts, or athletics. Families who place weight on those factors will need to seek them out from the school or district. The absence of that data does not imply weakness; it simply means the public record is incomplete on those points.

McGuire Middle is a school where the academic record, on state tests, stands out within its county. The surrounding city offers classic outer-suburban amenities and a growing housing market, but the district is redistricting, so assigned school boundaries are worth verifying before making a move. For a family whose priority is a middle school with above-average academic performance in a growing Twin Cities exurb, this school merits a close look, paired with a direct inquiry into the programs and supports that matter most to them.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 49% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 54% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 62% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 58% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 56% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 15% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolLakeville Area Schools, 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 6Lower-income46%Higher-income68%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income59%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income57%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income18%Higher-income61%43 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income19%Higher-income51%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income67%28 pp gap