Best Public Schools in Granite Falls, MN

Granite Falls, Minnesota has two public schools—Bert Raney Elementary School serving PK–5 and Yellow Medicine East Secondary serving grades 6–12—both in the Yellow Medicine East district, with no standalone middle or alternative school. They enroll 605 students total. The district is ranked 299 of 458 in Minnesota, at the 35th percentile with 2 stars.

For parents comparing the two, Bert Raney Elementary School shows stronger math and reading than Yellow Medicine East Secondary, despite a higher free/reduced lunch rate (53.17% vs. 38.01%). All-grade math is 35.9% at the elementary vs. 20.4% at the secondary; reading is 47.0% vs. 45.7%, with both near Minnesota’s 48.6%. Fourth grade at the elementary is a bright spot: 60.6% in math and 54.5% in reading, both above state. The secondary’s standout is completion: an 86.2% graduation rate (above the state’s 84.9%) and a 3.9% dropout rate (below the state’s 4.2%). Its ranking improved from the 26th to 39th percentile, while the elementary slipped from 47th to 36th to 33rd percentile, though both hold 2 stars.

Reading is the district’s relative strength, but math and science are major concerns. District all-grade math is 27.3% vs. the state’s 44.9%, and science is 14.3% vs. 25.5%. The elementary’s science dropped sharply from 38.89% to 11.4%, while the secondary’s science stayed low at 15.5%. Grade-level bright spots include 7th grade reading at 50% and 10th grade reading at 44.8% at the secondary. Student/teacher ratios are 11.2 at the elementary and 12.3 at the secondary. Overall, the elementary shows better math/reading outcomes, while the secondary has stronger completion rates and recent ranking improvement.