Summary:
Dawson, Minnesota is served by two public schools in the Dawson-Boyd Public School District: Stevens Elementary, which covers PK–6 with 297 students, and Dawson-Boyd Secondary, which serves grades 7–12 with 269 students. Total enrollment is 566, and there is no separate middle school — grades 7 and 8 are housed in the secondary building. The district as a whole is ranked 104 of 458 in Minnesota, placing it in the 77th percentile with 4 stars.
Stevens Elementary is the academic standout and the stronger of the two schools. It ranks 76 of 869 Minnesota elementary schools — the 91st percentile, with 5 stars — up from 195 of 872 the prior year and 250 of 881 the year before, a clear upward trend. In 2025–2026 it scored above both the district and the state in all three reported subjects: math 68.7 versus 51.1 for the district and 44.9 for the state, reading 68.9 versus 63.3 and 48.6, and science 31.6 versus 26.8 and 25.5. Science is above state but noticeably lower than its math and reading results.
Dawson-Boyd Secondary presents a contrast: excellent completion outcomes alongside weaker math. Its graduation rate is 97.7% versus 84.9% statewide, and its dropout rate is 2.2% versus 4.2%, while its rank moved from 132 of 480 in 2023–2024 to 300 of 450 in 2024–2025 before rebounding to 171 of 473 — 64th percentile, 3 stars — in 2025–2026. Math proficiency is 26.3% against 44.9% statewide, the clearest area of need, with 11th grade math at 15.8% versus 35.3% statewide. Reading is above state (55.9% vs. 48.6%) and science roughly at state (24.7% vs. 25.5%). Both schools improved in every reported subject from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026. For context, Stevens Elementary has a higher free/reduced lunch rate (40.74% vs. 35.32%) and a lower student-teacher ratio (11.5 vs. 14.3).
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