Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Nisswa Elementary

Q: Is Nisswa Elementary a good school?

Nisswa Elementary ranks 203 rd of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

203^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Nisswa Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in the Brainerd Public School District, with 255 students. This relatively small school has consistently ranked highly among Minnesota elementary schools, earning a statewide ranking between 62 and 314 over the past 10 years and a 4 or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nisswa Elementary consistently outperforms the Brainerd Public School District and the state of Minnesota in standardized test scores, with 72.82% of students proficient or better in MCA-III Math compared to 45.64% for the district and 45.21% for the state. In reading, 55.34% of Nisswa students were proficient or better, compared to 51.48% for the district and 49.59% for the state. Additionally, Nisswa Elementary has a relatively low percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 20.42% to 33.71% over the past few years, significantly lower than some nearby schools like Garfield Elementary (60.43%) and Riverside Elementary (62.04%).

Nisswa Elementary also has a lower student-teacher ratio compared to other schools in the Brainerd district, ranging from 12 to 12.8 over the past few years. This suggests smaller class sizes and potentially more individualized attention for students. The combination of Nisswa Elementary's strong academic performance, low percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and smaller class sizes may be contributing to the school's consistent high ranking and success in providing a quality education for its students.

249

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,324

Per pupil spending ?

27.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5533 Lakers Lane
Nisswa, MN 56468-8888

(218) 961-6860

District: Brainerd Public School District

Students who attend Nisswa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Forestview Middle
High:	Brainerd Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.6%

Two or more races:

3.6%

Hispanic:

1.6%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Nisswa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2015 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (64% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Minnesota elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg49%

Minnesota avg47%

203^rd of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From top 11% (2015) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	75.4	203 of 872	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	79.7	147 of 881	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	74.2	215 of 845	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	80.7	128 of 858	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	73.8	207 of 869	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	314 of 870	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.9	310 of 847	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	77.7	155 of 853	81.8%	★★★★☆
2016	84.1	62 of 848	92.7%	★★★★★
2015	81.6	93 of 840	88.9%	★★★★☆
2014	86.1	41 of 826	95.0%	★★★★★
2013	82.0	88 of 824	89.3%	★★★★☆
2012	65.0	321 of 820	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	70.7	219 of 814	73.1%	★★★★☆
2010	64.6	320 of 803	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.5	133 of 434	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	87.5	23 of 781	97.1%	★★★★★
2007	82.0	64 of 777	91.8%	★★★★★
2006	79.0	93 of 756	87.7%	★★★★☆
2005	75.0	124 of 685	81.9%	★★★★☆
2004	84.4	45 of 676	93.3%	★★★★★
2003	74.9	130 of 674	80.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	74.5	182 of 799	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.6	147 of 809	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	74.0	193 of 787	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.7	112 of 799	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	65.3	281 of 783	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.5	320 of 787	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.6	258 of 774	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	83.2	71 of 764	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	87.0	47 of 793	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	74.0	146 of 774	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	89.2	31 of 683	95.5%	★★★★★
2019	75.0	127 of 740	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	67.0	212 of 728	70.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	72.3	220 of 812	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	152 of 826	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	227 of 799	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	77.8	140 of 808	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.5	155 of 784	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.5	299 of 798	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.1	342 of 779	56.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	55.5	328 of 714	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.8	211 of 730	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	57.5	302 of 712	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.4	224 of 725	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.5	283 of 710	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.5	471 of 722	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.3	467 of 712	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)77th percentile~ school

Male (2025)73rd percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)54th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math73%+28 vs state

Reading55%+6 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Nisswa Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Nisswa Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Nisswa 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Crosslake Community Seat Based	Public, Charter	K-8	35808 County Rd 66	Crosslake	56442	Crow Wing County	Crosslake Community Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 692-5437	150	18	8.3	36.7%	130 (86.7%)	5 (3.3%)	10 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.3%)	39.3	578^th of 872 public elementary schools	33.7%		47.2	527^th of 881 public elementary schools	40.2%	51	41.2	28.6	33.3	16.7	32.5	50.0	38.1	46.7	83.3	54.9	$12,610
Crosslake Community K-5 Online	Public, Virtual, Charter	K-5	35808 County Road 66	Crosslake	56442	Crow Wing County	Crosslake Community Charter School	Yes	No	Yes	No	(218) 537-3623	33	2	16.1	63.6%	28 (84.8%)	1 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Nisswa Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Nisswa Elementary?

Students at Nisswa Elementary are 94% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

Is Nisswa Elementary a good school?

Nisswa Elementary ranks 203^rd of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Nisswa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 249 students attended Nisswa Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Nisswa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nisswa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Forestview Middle
High : Brainerd Senior High

What district is Nisswa Elementary in?

Brainerd Public School District

Rate Nisswa Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MNMinnesota Elementary School Rankings

MNMinnesota District Rankings

Schools in Nisswa, MN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Nisswa Elementary!

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.