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Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Q: Is Tatanka Elementary STEM School a good school?

Tatanka Elementary STEM School ranks 544 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

544^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Tatanka Elementary STEM School is a public elementary school located in Buffalo, Minnesota, serving 420 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools district, which is ranked 139 out of 446 districts in the state.

While Tatanka Elementary STEM School has a unique focus on STEM education, it has seen a decline in academic performance in recent years. The school's statewide ranking has dropped from 256 out of 870 Minnesota elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 544 out of 872 in 2024-2025. Proficiency rates in Math and Reading on the MCA-III assessments are consistently lower than the district and state averages, particularly in 5th grade. The school also struggles to support certain student subgroups, ranking particularly low for White students, Special Education students, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.

Interestingly, some of the nearby schools in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose district, such as Northwinds Elementary and Parkside Elementary, perform significantly better on the MCA-III assessments and have higher statewide rankings. Additionally, the Monticello Nature Based Education school, which is part of the Monticello Public School District, consistently ranks among the top 150 elementary schools in Minnesota and outperforms the state and district averages on the MCA-III assessments.

393

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,828

Per pupil spending ?

35.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

703 8th St NE
Buffalo, MN 55313-1897

(763) 682-8600

District: Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools

Students who attend Tatanka Elementary STEM School usually attend:

Middle:	Buffalo Community Middle
High:	Buffalo Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.6%

African American:

8.1%

Two or more races:

6.9%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Tatanka Elementary STEM School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2015 → 38th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

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

!Near the bottom of Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg52%

Minnesota avg47%

544^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From top 49% (2015) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools

139^th of 446Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools 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	42.5	544 of 872	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.4	659 of 881	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.5	514 of 845	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.3	486 of 858	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.4	385 of 869	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.9	256 of 870	70.6%	★★★★☆
2018	69.9	258 of 847	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	70.4	258 of 853	69.8%	★★★★☆
2016	68.6	276 of 848	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.8	409 of 840	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.2	351 of 826	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.0	336 of 824	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.2	367 of 820	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.4	324 of 814	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.3	362 of 803	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	54.4	429 of 781	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.0	467 of 777	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	59.4	351 of 756	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.9	335 of 685	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	60.1	297 of 676	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2003	70.8	166 of 674	75.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	42.2	511 of 799	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.8	618 of 809	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.0	523 of 787	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.1	441 of 799	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.7	438 of 783	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.7	229 of 787	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.2	264 of 774	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	438 of 764	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.6	640 of 793	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.8	451 of 774	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.9	225 of 663	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.9	216 of 683	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	81.5	66 of 740	91.1%	★★★★★
2018	64.1	247 of 728	66.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	40.9	540 of 812	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	618 of 826	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.2	448 of 799	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.4	478 of 808	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	63.1	298 of 784	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.5	284 of 798	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.5	238 of 779	69.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	450 of 562	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.0	371 of 572	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.2	269 of 524	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.1	303 of 500	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.2	296 of 417	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.6	284 of 515	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	72.6	96 of 463	79.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	619 of 714	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	698 of 730	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	588 of 712	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	529 of 725	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.1	391 of 710	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.9	361 of 722	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	326 of 712	54.2%	★★★☆☆

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)43rd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)36th percentile~ school

Male (2025)33rd percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile-18 vs school

White (2025)13th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading44%-5 vs state

Math43%~ state avg

4.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, September 7, 2016

I love Tatanka. Not every Elementary School Principal personally stands at the entrance and welcomes each kid to school every morning. I love how involved all the teachers and staff are with each child. The STEM program is amazing, it takes a step further into the learn curriculum Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

They are initiating STEM in 2012-2013 and also offer an advanced program for qualified students called QUEST. The extra activities scheduled throughout the school year presented by the PTO bring families and classmates together. Close Quote

Schools Near Tatanka Elementary STEM School

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
Tatanka Elementary STEM School	Public	K-5	703 8th St NE	Buffalo	55313	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 682-8600	393	26	14.8	35.1%	301 (76.6%)	32 (8.1%)	24 (6.1%)	7 (1.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.9%)	42.5	544^th of 872 public elementary schools	37.6%		29.4	659^th of 881 public elementary schools	25.2%	115	53.6	54.7	26.4		43.1	44.6	35.9	50.0		44.1	$10,828
Parkside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	207 3rd St NE	Buffalo	55313	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 682-8500	348	27	12.8	42.8%	286 (82.2%)	7 (2.0%)	26 (7.5%)	6 (1.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.0%)	44.3	527^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.6%		58.6	392^nd of 881 public elementary schools	55.5%	135	50.0	35.9	43.1		43.4	40.6	36.5	59.3		45.7	$13,171
Discovery Elementary	Public	K-5	301 2nd Ave NE	Buffalo	55313	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	No	(763) 682-8400	257	15	16.6	16.0%	252 (98.1%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	51.4	464^th of 872 public elementary schools	46.8%		45.5	541^st of 881 public elementary schools	38.6%	77	61.0	50.0	25.0		44.8	46.3	42.5	63.6		51.2	$12,939
Northwinds Elementary	Public	K-5	1111 7th Ave NW	Buffalo	55313	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	No	(763) 682-8800	419	28	14.8	25.8%	394 (94.0%)	7 (1.7%)	10 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	67.3	296^th of 872 public elementary schools	66.1%		75	200^th of 881 public elementary schools	77.3%	96	76.2	61.6	47.9		61.4	46.9	45.2	66.2		52.9	$11,493
Maple Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	200 Highway 55 E	Maple Lake	55358	Wright County	Maple Lake Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 963-3024	404	33	12.2	27.2%	384 (95.0%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.2%)	66	314^th of 872 public elementary schools	64.0%		68.4	276^th of 881 public elementary schools	68.7%	38	63.9	82.2	42.6	50.0	59.0	36.6	62.2	73.6	46.4	52.9	$11,302
Monticello Nature Based Education	Public	K-5	9842 Briarwood Avenue NE	Monticello	55362	Wright County	Monticello Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 272-2801	65	0		23.1%	59 (90.8%)	1 (1.5%)	3 (4.6%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	80	148^th of 872 public elementary schools	83.0%		95.3	9^th of 881 public elementary schools	99.0%	139		69.6	95.0		81.4		43.5	85.7		63.6
Montrose Elementary School of Innov	Public	PK, KG-5	100 2nd St S	Montrose	55363	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 682-8345	363	25	14.4	45.7%	307 (84.6%)	14 (3.9%)	29 (8.0%)	9 (2.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	59.6	376^th of 872 public elementary schools	56.9%		48.3	510^th of 881 public elementary schools	42.1%	134	66.7	60.0	33.3		53.5	45.0	55.4	55.2		51.7	$13,186
Little Mountain Elementary	Public	1-5	9350 Fallon Ave NE	Monticello	55362	Wright County	Monticello Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 272-2600	576	42	13.6	32.6%	414 (71.9%)	29 (5.0%)	61 (10.6%)	23 (4.0%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.6%)	66.2	310^th of 872 public elementary schools	64.4%		64.4	316^th of 881 public elementary schools	64.1%	6	60.2	60.5	53.5		58.2	45.2	52.9	65.2		54.1	$12,686
Eastview Education Center	Public	PK-K	9375 Fenning Ave NE	Monticello	55362	Wright County	Monticello Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 272-2801	301	43	7.0	38.5%	229 (76.1%)	14 (4.7%)	33 (11.0%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.0%)								(n/a)											$16,426
Swan River Montessori Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	500 Maple St	Monticello	55362	Wright County	Swan River Montessori Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(763) 271-7926	161	12	12.9	3.7%	151 (93.8%)	1 (0.6%)	4 (2.5%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	60.1	368^th of 872 public elementary schools	57.8%		64.4	317^th of 881 public elementary schools	64.0%	51	87.0	31.8	18.2		42.7	63.6	54.6	63.6		61.6	$12,079

Frequently Asked Questions about Tatanka Elementary STEM School

Is Tatanka Elementary STEM School a good school?

Tatanka Elementary STEM School ranks 544^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Tatanka Elementary STEM School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 393 students attended Tatanka Elementary STEM School.

What is the racial makeup of Tatanka Elementary STEM School?

Students at Tatanka Elementary STEM School are 77% White, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Tatanka Elementary STEM School attend?

Students who attend Tatanka Elementary STEM School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Buffalo Community Middle
High : Buffalo Senior High

What district is Tatanka Elementary STEM School in?

Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools

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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.