The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Richfield Middle
Richfield Middle serves sixth through eighth graders in a district that draws from Richfield, an inner-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The school occupies a regular public school building within a community that describes itself as an urban hometown. The student body numbers in the several hundreds for these three grade levels, making it a modest-sized middle school by metro-area standards.
The student population reflects the surrounding city’s diversity. Hispanic students form the largest group, followed by white students, Black students, students of two or more races, Asian students, and smaller numbers of American Indian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a meaningful share that points to a substantial low-income population. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are served and what supports exist.
On state assessments, Richfield Middle’s proficiency rates fall below where many families would hope. In English language arts, roughly a third to just under two-fifths of students scored proficient across grades six through eight. In math, the rate ranged around a quarter to just under a third. Science, tested only in eighth grade, saw about one in nine students meet proficiency. The state changed the science assessment this cycle, which makes direct comparison with prior years unreliable. Looking across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among districts in Hennepin County, meaning it performs neither near the top nor at the bottom relative to its county peers. Still, the absolute numbers are low, and a parent concerned about academic outcomes will want to understand how the school addresses skill gaps and whether it provides intervention or enrichment programs.
There is no graduation rate to report because the school does not serve high school grades, and chronic absenteeism data was not available.
Richfield itself is a dense, built-out suburb with a postwar housing stock ranging from single-family homes to apartments and senior living. Best Buy’s corporate headquarters anchors the local economy. Home values and rents in the area have risen in recent years, and the monthly cost of owning a home is estimated to be higher than renting, reflecting a tight housing market. The city’s population peaked decades ago and then declined due to airport and highway expansion; today the focus is on redevelopment along commercial corridors.
The district has a strategic plan called Richfield Realized, covering 2021 through 2026, which sets academic and community-engagement goals. Families moving into the area can look at that plan to see how the district prioritizes resources.
For a parent weighing this school, the picture is mixed. The school serves a diverse, economically varied student body in a stable suburban setting with accessible city amenities. Academically, it is not a high-performing school by the state’s standards, though it holds a middle position within its county. A parent who values a diverse community and wants to engage with a school that is actively working on improvement may find it a reasonable fit. A parent primarily seeking strong test scores will likely want to investigate further, particularly around how the school supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards. The absence of discipline, attendance, and staffing data in these records leaves additional questions unanswered, and a visit or conversation with the principal would be worthwhile.
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