Summary:
Barnesville, Minnesota, has two public schools in this data set — one elementary school serving PK–6 and one high school serving 7–12 — with no middle or alternative schools, all within the Barnesville Public School District. Total enrollment is 870 students: 490 at Barnesville Elementary School and 380 at Barnesville High School. The district ranks 136th of 458 Minnesota districts (70th percentile, 4 stars). Free/reduced lunch is similar at both schools (21.43% elementary, 20% high school), while the student-teacher ratio is 14.6 at the elementary and 16.2 at the high school.
Barnesville Elementary School is the consistent academic standout, ranking in the top quartile for three straight years: 201 of 869 (77th percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–26, 142 of 872 (84th, 4 stars) in 2024–25, and 165 of 881 (81%, 4 stars) in 2023–24. Its 2025–26 all-grade proficiency is 62.1% in math vs 44.9% state and 66.1% in reading vs 48.6% state, though science is 20% vs 25.5% state. Early grades are especially strong: 3rd grade math is 90.5% vs 57.9% state, 3rd grade reading is 75.3% vs 46.8% state, 4th grade math is 71.6% vs 55.2%, and 4th grade reading is 64.2% vs 48.8%. The main relative weakness is 6th grade math at 37.8% vs 39.5% state.
Barnesville High School is more mixed. It has excellent completion outcomes — 96.7% graduation vs 84.9% state and 0.0% dropout vs 4.2% state — plus strong math: 60.6% all-grade vs 44.9% state and 74.5% in 11th grade vs 35.3% state. But its ranking fell sharply from 17 of 480 (96th percentile, 5 stars) in 2023–24 to 56 of 450 (88th, 4 stars) in 2024–25 to 245 of 473 (48th, 2 stars) in 2025–26. High school reading is 37.8% vs 48.6% state, and science is 18% vs 25.5% state. Across the district, reading shows the biggest split: elementary 66.1% vs high school 37.8%, while both schools beat the state in math but trail in science. Families should note the high school’s recent proficiency drop even as graduation remains strong.
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