The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in Science. The lowest is 22% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Mcintosh Middle School - 03
McIntosh Middle School sits in the heart of a very small prairie town that serves as the county seat of Corson County, South Dakota. The school is part of the McIntosh School District 15-1 and serves grades five through eight. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet. The town itself is entirely rural, positioned along US Route 12, with civic life and school life integrated into a compact settlement rather than spread across separate campuses. East Lake sits about a mile outside of town. The community has experienced steady population decline over the past two decades, and housing vacancy is elevated. No new commercial development or growth initiatives surfaced in publicly available sources. The trend here is contraction, and that reality shapes the school's context.
The enrollment is very small even by rural standards, with only a handful of students per grade. Every student in the building qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly American Indian and Alaska Native, with a substantial white population and a small number of students identifying as Asian, Hispanic, or multiracial. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here. A parent looking into special education or language support services would want to ask the school directly.
State assessment results are available for the current school year across math, English language arts, and science, with full participation among tested students. Math proficiency is low, with roughly one in five tested students reaching proficiency. English language arts is somewhat stronger, with close to a third of students proficient. Science sits in between, with proficiency above the math rate. These results reflect a school where a meaningful share of students are meeting state benchmarks but where most are not yet there, particularly in math. Average scale scores were not reported, so it is not possible to say how close the non-proficient students are to the threshold. Trend data was not available, so there is no year-over-year comparison to indicate whether results are improving or declining. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, especially regarding math support and any interventions in place.
Because this is a middle school serving grades five through eight, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not have a high school cohort. No civil rights data, course access information, staffing figures, or attendance data were provided, so those dimensions of the school environment cannot be assessed here.
The district is in the midst of a major infrastructure investment. Phase I construction of a new school building began in spring 2023, covering preschool through junior high classrooms and special education spaces. For a small rural district covering a large geographic area, this is a substantial commitment and will reshape the learning environment for students across all grade levels in the coming years. A family considering this school is looking at a place that will have newer physical facilities as that project progresses.
What this school offers is a very small, close-knit setting in a rural community where the student body is majority Native American and where economic need is universal. Academic results are below state expectations in math and mixed in other subjects. The town itself is quiet and contracting, with limited local employment beyond county government and the school district. For a family already rooted in this community, the school is a central institution. For a family weighing options, the small class sizes and the incoming new building are real considerations, while the proficiency levels and the lack of available trend or program data are areas worth pressing the school about directly.
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