The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sauk Rapids-rice Middle School
Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in the Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools district. The school sits in the city of Sauk Rapids, a community on the east bank of the Mississippi River within the St. Cloud metropolitan area. The city has a mix of residential and commercial development, and its downtown along 2nd Street was revitalized following the construction of the Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge, an infrastructure project that linked the city more directly to St. Cloud. Residents have told city leadership they value that downtown and want to see it grow further. The middle school, like the district’s other school buildings, is on a separate campus rather than clustered in the downtown core. District-wide, Pleasantview Elementary opened a newly constructed building on its original site in 2023, a facilities expansion tied to enrollment growth in the area.
The school has a large enrollment for a middle school, with students spread roughly evenly across the three grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a small share identifying as two or more races, a smaller share as Hispanic, and even smaller shares as Black and Asian. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on the number of students with Individualized Education Programs and English learners was not available in the materials we reviewed; a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are served.
On state assessments, a clear pattern emerges and a parent should look into this further with the school. Reading proficiency is a relative strength. In grades six, seven, and eight, a sizable portion of students met or exceeded the state standard in ELA, with the strongest result in sixth grade. The combined proficiency rate across all three grades in reading sits above the middle school’s performance in math. Math proficiency is weaker. In sixth and seventh grades, about a quarter of students scored proficient. In eighth grade, the share drops further, to roughly one in five. Science performance, assessed only in eighth grade, is a soft spot, with a small fraction of students reaching proficiency. When compared to other district-level entities within Benton County, the school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile of that small county cohort. The county comparison includes just a few districts, so the range is narrow, but the school sits at the lower end of that local group. This is a single year of data, and assessment changes in science make direct trend comparisons uncertain.
The school operates as a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. There is no Title I status reported. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data are not applicable, because this school does not serve the grade band where those metrics are measured. Program offerings, discipline data, course access information, and staffing ratios were not present in the data. A parent who wants to know about elective options, advanced coursework for middle school students, or student support structures will need to seek that information from the school directly.
Sauk Rapids itself has seen a period of rapid population growth followed by recent stabilization. The city has a substantial number of housing units and a very low vacancy rate. Home values in the zip code area are on par with state and national benchmarks, and the local housing market reflects the broader pressures of low inventory. The city maintains a network of parks, paved walking paths, and recreational facilities including a golf course and public splash pad. The Benton County Fair is held in Sauk Rapids. Street life is concentrated near the downtown corridor and park system rather than spread across residential neighborhoods. The district made an investment in school construction in recent years, which shapes the physical learning environment for students. For a family considering this school, the academic picture is mixed: reading results sit at a functional level while math and science performance are areas where a parent will want to understand what interventions and supports are in place.
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