Best Public Schools in Nisswa, MN

Schools in the city of Nisswa, Minnesota, come down to a single school: Nisswa Elementary, which serves students in grades PK–5 and enrolls 249 students as part of the Brainerd Public School District. Because Nisswa has no middle, high, or alternative schools in this data, the city's entire school profile is essentially the profile of Nisswa Elementary. The district holds a 2-star rating, ranks 249 of 458 Minnesota districts, and sits at the 46th percentile — near the middle of the state. The school's record includes three years of rank history (2023–2024 through 2025–2026), MCA scores for 2025–2026 by all grades and grades 3–5, 2024–2025 all-grade math and reading scores, a 27.31% free/reduced lunch rate, and a student/teacher ratio of 13.8. No test scores here are suppressed or given as ranges.

Nisswa Elementary stands out as a consistent high performer. It earned a 4-star rating in all three reported school years, with statewide percentiles of 83 (2023–2024, rank 147 of 881), 77 (2024–2025, rank 203 of 872), and 79 (2025–2026, rank 182 of 869) — roughly the top fifth to top quarter of Minnesota schools. That is a striking contrast with its own district, which is 2-star and at the 46th percentile. Even after a modest dip in 2024–2025, the school rebounded and held its 4-star rating.

On 2025–2026 MCA tests, Nisswa Elementary beat both its district and the state in every reported subject. All-grade math reached 68.4%, which is 22.0 points above the district and 23.5 points above the state. Reading was 58.5% versus 52.0% district and 48.6% state. Science was the lowest absolute score at 31.8%, yet still above district and state, and it appears to reflect 5th-grade science. Fourth-grade math was the strongest grade-level result at 74.1%, and 5th-grade math ran 21.7 points above the state. Year over year, all-grade math slipped about 4.4 points from 72.82% while reading rose about 3.2 points from 55.34%, though the reading comparison should be read with some caution because the two years use different MCA labels.