Summary:
Houston, Minnesota has seven listed schools — three elementary, one middle, and three high, with no alternative schools — enrolling 2,031 students across two districts: Houston Public School District (ranked 277 of 458, 40th percentile, 2 stars) and Ridgeway Community School (57 of 458, 88th percentile, 4 stars). Enrollment is concentrated in the Minnesota Virtual Academy schools: Minnesota Virtual Academy High (706 students), Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar (392), and Minnesota Virtual Academy Middle (333) together hold 1,431 students, about 70% of the total, while the other four schools share the remaining 600.
Two elementary schools stand out. Ridgeway Community School is the strongest overall performer: 78th percentile with 4 stars in 2025-26, and math at 67.3% and reading at 63.6%, both well above the state's 44.9% and 48.6%. It also has the lowest free/reduced-lunch rate in the group (23.71%) and a low student-teacher ratio of 9.6. Houston Elementary has been consistently strong, ranking between the 70th and 78th percentile with 4 stars for three straight years, and posting math at 67.3% and reading at 58.4%. Science is weaker at both — 20.8% at Houston Elementary and 25.0% at Ridgeway, against a 25.5% state figure.
Other schools show real challenges. Minnesota Virtual Academy Middle ranks 27th percentile with 1 star; its reading (46.7%) is close to the state's 48.6%, but math is 9.5% and science 4.3%, far below state. Minnesota Virtual Academy High, the largest school, improved to 58th percentile and 3 stars, yet reports a 21.3% dropout rate — more than five times the state rate — and a 64.1% graduation rate versus 84.9% statewide. Houston Secondary is the opposite: a 98.0% graduation rate and 0.0% dropout rate, but proficiency below state in math (21.6%), reading (31.9%), and science (21.7%). Summit Learning Program, with 22 students, has suppressed test scores and a 46.4% graduation rate, so its academics cannot be judged from this data.
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