Original Research by School Decision on Big 9 Online Middle School
Big 9 Online Middle School is a regular public school serving grades six through eight, operating as a fully online program within the Northfield Public School District. The school is based in Northfield, Minnesota, but its virtual format means students can participate from anywhere in the district or beyond. Enrollment is very small, and the school’s student population is so limited that standard demographic reporting fields — free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education status, English learner designation, and racial and ethnic breakdowns — all show no reported counts. This is not unusual for a small online program, where the number of students may be too low for public data systems to release.
Because of the extremely small tested population, Minnesota’s state assessment results for Big 9 Online Middle School are suppressed for all subjects and grade levels. In the 2022-23 school year, only a handful of students in grade six and grade eight took the math and English language arts assessments, and fewer than that participated in the grade eight science test. Participation rates varied: all enrolled sixth graders took the math and ELA tests, but only about a third of eighth graders did so in those subjects, and even fewer in science. The state withheld proficiency rates for all groups, as is standard when student counts are too small to report reliably without risking individual identification. No academic performance trend data is available, and the school has no graduation rate to report because it serves only middle grades.
The comparison to other districts in Rice County was not possible for proficiency, graduation, or chronic absenteeism, again because the school’s data is either missing or suppressed. A parent trying to gauge academic outcomes here will find no public test results to examine.
Big 9 Online Middle School belongs to the Northfield Public School District, a system that serves a community with a strong college-town identity. Northfield is home to Carleton College and St. Olaf College, and the district has invested in facilities and programs in recent years. The district’s Northfield Middle School was recognized by the state in 2026 as both an Exemplary High Performing School and an Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing School, a sign of strong in-person middle school options in the district. The district also offers a Spanish immersion program at all three elementary schools.
Given the sparse public data, Big 9 Online Middle School appears to be a niche virtual option for a very small number of families. What curriculum it follows, how it supports students academically, and what its students go on to achieve are questions that cannot be answered from the public record. A family considering this school should contact the district or school directly for details on instructional approach, course offerings, student support, and any local measures of student progress not captured by state testing.
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