Summary:
Brainerd, Minnesota has one listed middle school serving grades 5–8: Middle Level Alternative Program, a small alternative program with 14 students in the Brainerd Public School District. Because it is the only middle school in the city, all city-level middle school data reflect this single school's profile rather than a choice among multiple campuses.
Academically, the school's results are far below its district and state. In 2025-2026, math and science were reported at 0% proficient, while reading was 17.6%; 8th grade reading was 10% versus 59.1% in the district and 50% in the state. Several grade-level results were suppressed by the state and are unknown. In 2024-2025, math was 6.25% and reading was 46.67%, much closer to district and state, and science was suppressed. Rankings have fallen over time: 37th percentile in 2018-2019 (2 stars), 8th percentile in 2022-2023, and 2nd percentile in 2025-2026 (0 stars), or 537th of 546 middle schools. The district itself is average, ranking 249 of 458 (46th percentile, 2 stars).
Context matters. About 71.43% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch in 2024-2025, and the student-teacher ratio was 7 to 1, suggesting a high-need, heavily staffed setting. With only 14 students, a single student can move a percentage by several points, and many grade-level scores are suppressed as unknown, so year-to-year swings may reflect small cohorts rather than trends. Families should weigh the school's specialized alternative mission and individual attention alongside outcomes that currently place it near the bottom of Minnesota middle schools.
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