Best Public Schools in Iron, MN

The city of Iron, Minnesota is home to two schools: Cherry Elementary and Cherry Secondary, both part of the St. Louis County School District. Based on the available data, Cherry Elementary appears to be the stronger performing school, with higher proficiency rates in both math and reading compared to the district and state averages, particularly in the upper elementary grades.

In contrast, Cherry Secondary has struggled more academically, with proficiency rates well below the state averages, especially in math. However, the school does have a respectable 84.2% four-year graduation rate and a relatively low 4.4% dropout rate. Both schools have relatively high free/reduced lunch rates, indicating a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students, which may be a contributing factor to the academic performance challenges.

The student-teacher ratio is lower at Cherry Elementary (11.8) compared to Cherry Secondary (14.3), which may also contribute to the stronger academic outcomes at the elementary level. Overall, the data suggests that while both schools face challenges, Cherry Elementary is the stronger performing school in the district, while Cherry Secondary has room for improvement, particularly in math proficiency.