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Staples-Motley Elementary

Q: Is Staples-Motley Elementary a good school?

Staples-Motley Elementary ranks 609 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

609^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Staples-Motley Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in Staples, Minnesota, with 279 students. The school is part of the Staples-Motley School District, which is ranked 232 out of 446 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Staples-Motley Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Minnesota elementary schools over the past 5 years, with proficiency rates in math and reading below the state averages. Compared to nearby schools like Browerville Elementary and Pillager Elementary, Staples-Motley lags behind in both subject areas. The school also struggles to effectively serve its student subgroups, with its white and special education students performing particularly poorly.

Despite these challenges, Staples-Motley Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, suggesting the potential for improvement with the right strategies and resources. The school's high percentage of students from low-income families, ranging from 42.77% to 60.47% over the past 3 years, may contribute to the academic struggles, and the school may need to explore ways to better support these students and their families.

308

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,285

Per pupil spending ?

55.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1025 4th St NE
Staples, MN 56479-3000

(218) 894-5400

District: Staples-Motley School District

Students who attend Staples-Motley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Staples-Motley Middle School
High:	Staples-Motley Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.6%

Two or more races:

4.9%

American Indian:

1.6%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Staples-Motley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 44th percentile in 2012 → 30th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (40% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2012

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg40%

Minnesota avg47%

609^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

232^nd of 446Staples-Motley 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	33.8	609 of 872	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.8	559 of 881	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	607 of 845	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.6	596 of 858	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	637 of 869	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	38.0	613 of 848	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	48.1	531 of 840	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.3	625 of 826	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	34.9	632 of 824	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	55.9	457 of 820	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	42.7	589 of 814	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	48.8	544 of 803	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	50.2	475 of 781	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	50.2	480 of 777	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	40.9	562 of 756	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	32.9	551 of 685	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	35.2	525 of 676	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	44.1	465 of 674	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	479 of 799	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.6	469 of 809	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.8	626 of 787	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.2	576 of 799	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.8	605 of 783	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	49.5	388 of 764	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	66.8	238 of 793	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	38.0	516 of 774	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.3	368 of 663	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.5	355 of 683	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	23.7	651 of 812	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.2	559 of 826	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.6	517 of 799	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.1	553 of 808	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.1	572 of 784	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	532 of 562	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	427 of 572	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.9	365 of 524	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.9	364 of 500	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	393 of 417	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	7.3	699 of 714	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	676 of 730	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	681 of 712	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	687 of 725	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	688 of 710	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile+19 vs school

Female (2025)40th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)20th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2025)5th percentile-25 vs school

White (2025)2nd percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math46%~ state avg

Reading34%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Staples-Motley 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
Staples-Motley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1025 4th St NE	Staples	56479	Todd County	Staples-Motley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 894-5400	308	24	13.1	55.8%	282 (91.6%)	4 (1.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.9%)	33.8	609^th of 872 public elementary schools	30.2%		42.8	559^th of 881 public elementary schools	36.5%	50	48.9	44.3			46.3	34.0	34.4			34.3	$12,285
Verndale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	411 SW Brown St	Verndale	56481	Wadena County	Verndale Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 445-5184	253	21	11.8	41.5%	239 (94.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	47.4	501^st of 872 public elementary schools	42.5%		42.2	566^th of 881 public elementary schools	35.8%	65	56.8	57.6	31.6	12.5	40.8	38.6	57.6	50.0	53.1	49.0	$10,713
Bertha Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	310 Central Ave S	Bertha	56437	Todd County	Bertha-Hewitt Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 924-2500	293	16	17.9	51.2%	279 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.4%)	57.4	400^th of 872 public elementary schools	54.1%		59	385^th of 881 public elementary schools	56.3%	15	81.4	66.7	36.6	38.7	55.9	50.0	28.6	46.3	53.1	46.4	$12,003
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
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	215 Colfax Ave SW	Wadena	56482	Wadena County	Wadena-Deer Creek School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 632-2400	450	40	11.1	52.2%	387 (86.0%)	9 (2.0%)	21 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.1%)	31.1	634^th of 872 public elementary schools	27.3%		30.4	650^th of 881 public elementary schools	26.2%	16	52.3	40.3			46.6	33.7	27.6			30.9	$12,842
Browerville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	620 Park Ave N	Browerville	56438	Todd County	Browerville Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 594-2272	275	0		56.0%	240 (87.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	41.5	557^th of 872 public elementary schools	36.1%		58	404^th of 881 public elementary schools	54.1%	153	53.1	71.8	28.2	40.0	48.3	25.0	33.3	46.2	40.0	36.6	$9,494

Frequently Asked Questions about Staples-Motley Elementary

Is Staples-Motley Elementary a good school?

Staples-Motley Elementary ranks 609^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Staples-Motley Elementary in?

Staples-Motley School District

How many students attend Staples-Motley Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 308 students attended Staples-Motley Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Staples-Motley Elementary?

Students at Staples-Motley Elementary are 92% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Staples-Motley Elementary attend?

Students who attend Staples-Motley Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Staples-Motley Middle School
High : Staples-Motley Senior High

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Schools in Staples, MN

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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.