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Garfield Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-4

674^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Garfield Elementary is a public elementary school in Brainerd, Minnesota, serving students from kindergarten to 4th grade as part of the Brainerd Public School District. While the district is ranked 203 out of 446 in the state, Garfield Elementary has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from a high of 154 out of 847 Minnesota elementary schools in 2017-2018 to 674 out of 872 in 2024-2025.

Garfield Elementary's performance on standardized tests is consistently lower than the district and state averages. In 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in MCA-III Math and Reading were 32.5% and 33.61%, respectively, compared to 45.64% and 51.48% for the Brainerd district, and 45.21% and 49.59% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as White students and students from low-income families, who make up a significant portion of the student population.

While Garfield Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, which could be an advantage, its academic outcomes lag behind nearby schools within the Brainerd district, such as Nisswa Elementary, Baxter Elementary, and Lowell Elementary. Identifying and addressing the specific challenges faced by the school's underperforming student subgroups, as well as exploring best practices from higher-performing nearby schools, could be key to improving the overall quality of education at Garfield Elementary.

250

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,674

Per pupil spending ?

52.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1120 10th Ave NE
Brainerd, MN 56401-2352

(218) 454-6450

District: Brainerd Public School District

Students who attend Garfield Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Forestview Middle
High:	Brainerd Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.2%

Two or more races:

10.0%

American Indian:

4.8%

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Compare Garfield Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 77th percentile in 2015 → 23rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (33% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 54 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg49%

Minnesota avg47%

674^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 54 pts since 2015

From top 23% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Brainerd Public School District

203^rd of 446Brainerd Public School District among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	26.9	674 of 872	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.2	468 of 881	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	580 of 845	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.0	515 of 858	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.2	560 of 869	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.3	400 of 870	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.5	154 of 847	81.8%	★★★★☆
2017	72.6	228 of 853	73.3%	★★★★☆
2016	66.1	305 of 848	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	74.5	193 of 840	77.0%	★★★★☆
2014	75.2	164 of 826	80.1%	★★★★☆
2013	73.0	203 of 824	75.4%	★★★★☆
2012	65.2	313 of 820	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.0	400 of 814	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.0	428 of 803	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	66.4	147 of 434	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	75.7	129 of 781	83.5%	★★★★☆
2007	73.9	152 of 777	80.4%	★★★★☆
2006	84.7	39 of 756	94.8%	★★★★★
2005	76.5	108 of 685	84.2%	★★★★☆
2004	56.5	342 of 676	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2003	67.3	210 of 674	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	681 of 799	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.9	421 of 809	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.0	479 of 787	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.0	491 of 799	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.7	533 of 783	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.0	285 of 787	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	82.7	85 of 774	89.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	578 of 764	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	61.4	282 of 793	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.8	416 of 774	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.5	378 of 663	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.7	299 of 683	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.2	226 of 740	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	81.9	61 of 728	91.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	40.5	542 of 812	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.3	486 of 826	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.1	595 of 799	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.9	486 of 808	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.5	495 of 784	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	458 of 798	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	69.6	237 of 779	69.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	308 of 562	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.8	298 of 572	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.5	411 of 524	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	417 of 500	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.2	206 of 417	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.2	204 of 515	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.1	66 of 463	85.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	12.6	682 of 714	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	585 of 730	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	658 of 712	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	624 of 725	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	656 of 710	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	42.4	472 of 722	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.7	263 of 712	63.1%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2025)45th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2025)33rd percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile~ school

Female (2025)15th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)4th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading34%-16 vs state

Math32%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Garfield Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)					MCA-III Reading (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Garfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1120 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6450	250	21	12.1	52.4%	203 (81.2%)	2 (0.8%)	8 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (10.0%)	26.9	674^th of 872 public elementary schools	22.7%		52.2	468^th of 881 public elementary schools	46.9%	206	24.2	42.6			32.5	18.5	51.9			33.6	$12,674
Lowell Elementary	Public	K-4	704 3rd Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6550	355	26	13.9	39.7%	314 (88.5%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.4%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.5%)	84.4	100^th of 872 public elementary schools	88.5%		88	62^nd of 881 public elementary schools	93.0%	38	74.7	71.6			73.2	59.5	67.6			63.4	$11,809
Discovery Woods	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	604 N 7th St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Discovery Woods	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 828-8200	101	11	8.9	64.4%	77 (76.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (17.8%)	29	658^th of 872 public elementary schools	24.5%		29.4	658^th of 881 public elementary schools	25.3%		35.3		9.1	9.1	25.0	35.3		45.5	63.6	41.7	$9,692
Harrison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1515 Oak St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6500	230	19	12.1	59.1%	200 (87.0%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	17 (7.4%)	45.3	518^th of 872 public elementary schools	40.6%		32.3	638^th of 881 public elementary schools	27.6%	120	68.2	41.3			54.4	52.3	19.6			35.6	$14,382
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	220 3rd St NW	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6800	407	40	10.2	57.5%	344 (84.5%)	4 (1.0%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (8.1%)	44.4	525^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.8%		41.2	573^rd of 881 public elementary schools	35.0%	48	44.8	52.1			47.9	41.7	45.1			43.1	$15,397
Baxter Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	12191 Jasperwood Drive	Baxter	56425	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6400	506	34	14.9	31.8%	462 (91.3%)	9 (1.8%)	11 (2.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.8%)	68.8	282^nd of 872 public elementary schools	67.7%		73.8	220^th of 881 public elementary schools	75.0%	62	64.3	59.1			61.8	53.6	54.3			53.9	$11,504
Nisswa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	5533 Lakers Lane	Nisswa	56468	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 961-6860	249	18	13.8	27.3%	233 (93.6%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.6%)	75.4	203^rd of 872 public elementary schools	76.7%		79.7	147^th of 881 public elementary schools	83.3%	56	64.3	83.0			72.8	46.4	66.0			55.3	$12,324
Cuyuna Range Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	509 6th Ave NE	Crosby	56441	Crow Wing County	Crosby-Ironton Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 545-8803	533	40	13.4	47.7%	492 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.5%)	46.5	506^th of 872 public elementary schools	42.0%		58.1	403^rd of 881 public elementary schools	54.3%	103	53.4	35.4	42.7	41.8	43.5	32.9	43.9	53.7	47.5	44.9	$12,452
Pillager Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	323 E 2nd St S	Pillager	56473	Cass County	Pillager Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 746-2110	521	40	12.9	41.5%	488 (93.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.6%)	65.8	315^th of 872 public elementary schools	63.9%		63.6	329^th of 881 public elementary schools	62.7%	14	57.1	66.7			61.7	46.7	57.3			51.7	$11,169
Eagle View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	6539 County Rd 11	Breezy Point	56472	Crow Wing County	Pequot Lakes Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 562-6100	557	44	12.5	36.6%	530 (95.2%)	2 (0.4%)	13 (2.3%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	80.2	147^th of 872 public elementary schools	83.1%		81.8	124^th of 881 public elementary schools	85.9%	23	68.1	73.6			70.9	54.0	66.7			60.3	$10,458

Frequently Asked Questions about Garfield Elementary

How many students attend Garfield Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 250 students attended Garfield Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Garfield Elementary attend?

Students who attend Garfield Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Forestview Middle
High : Brainerd Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Garfield Elementary?

Students at Garfield Elementary are 81% White, 10% Two or more races, 5% American Indian, 3% Hispanic.

Is Garfield Elementary a good school?

Garfield Elementary ranks in the bottom 22.7% of Minnesota elementary schools.

What district is Garfield Elementary in?

Brainerd Public School District

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.