
Minnesota’s public education system is stellar, characterized by low dropout rates, high test scores, and low student-to-teacher ratios. Minnesota’s high standard of education is reflected in its five best school districts.
St. Michael-Albertville Schools is Minnesota’s best school district. Comprising one kindergarten, three elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools serving an enrollment of nearly 6,500, the high-performing district recently managed a remarkable graduation rate of over 99%
Minnesota’s 2nd best school system is Centennial School District, which is headquartered in the suburb of Circle Pines and consists of seven schools and a number of other facilities. Centennial teachers are highly qualified, with 78% holding a master’s degree, and the district has a graduation rate of 94.9%.
Placing 3rd in the ranking is Farmington Area Public Schools, made up of five elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school in the city of Farmington. The district’s students consistently test higher than the national average on the ACT and NWEA MAP tests.
Hopkins Public Schools is the 4th best public school district in the state of Minnesota. HPS serves an enrollment of around 6,800 students hailing from the city of Hopkins and portions of surrounding communities. Students of Hopkins schools are in good hands, as 84% of the district’s teachers have a master’s degree or higher.
Mahtomedi Public Schools completes the ranking of Minnesota’s top school districts. Comprising four schools in the small Washington County city of Mahtomedi, MPS maintains a standard of excellence which is reflected in the district’s students’ high ACT and AP exam test scores.
Top School Districts in Minnesota, 2020
Rank School District City
1 St. Michael-Albertville School Dist Albertville
2 Centennial Public School District Circle Pines
3 Farmington Public School District Farmington
4 Hopkins Public School District Hopkins
5 Mahtomedi Public School District Mahtomedi
6 Orono Public School District Long Lake
7 Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Public Sch Buffalo
8 Sartell-St. Stephen School District Sartell
9 Hastings Public School District Hastings
10 Monticello Public School District Monticello
11 New Prague Area Schools New Prague
12 Delano Public School District Delano
13 Forest Lake Public School District Forest Lake
14 Waconia Public School District Waconia
15 St. Louis Park Public School Dist. Saint Louis Park
16 Northfield Public School District Northfield
17 Westonka Public School District Minnetrista
18 Brainerd Public School District Brainerd
19 St. Anthony-New Brighton Schools Saint Anthony
20 Alexandria Public School District Alexandria
21 Grand Rapids Public School District Grand Rapids
22 Big Lake Public School District Big Lake
23 Becker Public School District Becker
24 Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist Cambridge
25 Esko Public School District Esko
26 St. Francis Area Schools Saint Francis
27 Byron Public School District Byron
28 Chisago Lakes School District Lindstrom
29 Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools Sauk Rapids
30 West St. Paul-Mendota Hts.-Eagan Mendota Heights
31 Hutchinson Public School District Hutchinson
32 Rocori Public School District Cold Spring
33 Foley Public School District Foley
34 Inver Grove Heights Schools Inver Grove Heights
35 Virginia Public School District Virginia
36 Kasson-Mantorville School District Kasson
37 Spring Lake Park Public Schools Spring Lake Park
38 Hermantown Public School District Hermantown
39 Greenway Public School District Coleraine
40 Annandale Public School District Annandale
41 Dassel-Cokato Public School Dist. Cokato
42 Owatonna Public School District Owatonna
43 Princeton Public School District Princeton
44 Moorhead Public School District Moorhead
45 Rockford Public School District Rockford
46 Holdingford Public School District Holdingford
47 Morris Area Public Schools Morris
48 New Ulm Public School District New Ulm
49 Pine Island Public School Dist. Pine Island
50 Watertown-Mayer Public School Dist. Watertown
51 Pequot Lakes Public Schools Pequot Lakes
52 Barnesville Public School Dist. Barnesville
53 Albany Public School District Albany
54 Plainview-Elgin-Millville Plainview
55 Jordan Public School District Jordan
56 New London-Spicer School District New London
57 Osakis Public School District Osakis
58 Red Wing Public School District Red Wing
59 Stewartville Public School District Stewartville
60 Maple Lake Public School District Maple Lake
61 Zumbrota-Mazeppa School District Mazeppa
62 Luverne Public School District Luverne
63 Hibbing Public School District Hibbing
64 North Branch Public Schools North Branch
65 Fairmont Area School District Fairmont
66 St. Charles Public School District Saint Charles
67 Melrose Public School District Melrose
68 Chatfield Public Schools Chatfield
69 Paynesville Public School District Paynesville
70 Cannon Falls Public School District Cannon Falls
71 Litchfield Public School District Litchfield
72 Eden Valley-Watkins School District Eden Valley
73 Dover-Eyota Public School District Eyota
74 Belle Plaine Public School District Belle Plaine
75 Maple River School District Mapleton
76 Bemidji Public School District Bemidji
77 Rush City Public School District Rush City
78 Battle Lake Public School District Battle Lake
79 Thief River Falls School District Thief River Falls
80 Roseau Public School District Roseau
81 Proctor Public School District Proctor
82 International Falls School District International Falls
83 Warroad Public School District Warroad
84 La Crescent-Hokah School District La Crescent
85 Braham Public School District Braham
86 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Howard Lake
87 Murray County Central School Dist. Slayton
88 Montevideo Public School District Montevideo
89 Mora Public School District Mora
90 Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Dilworth
91 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa School Dist Belgrade
92 Jackson County Central School Dist. Jackson
93 Minnewaska School District Glenwood
94 Lake Superior Public School Dist. Two Harbors
95 St. Peter Public School District Saint Peter
96 Crosby-Ironton Public School Dist. Crosby
97 Kimball Public School District Kimball
98 Caledonia Public School District Caledonia
99 Kenyon-Wanamingo School District Wanamingo
100 Pierz Public School District Pierz
Methodology
The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.
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