Best Public Schools in Sauk Rapids, MN

Summary:

The city of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota is home to 8 schools, including 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 4 high schools, serving students from early childhood through 12th grade. The schools in this district demonstrate a mix of academic performance, with some standout elementary schools and more room for improvement at the middle and high school levels.

Mississippi Heights Elementary and Pleasantview Elementary are the top-performing schools in the district, with proficiency rates in math and reading that exceed the district and state averages. In contrast, Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High has seen a decline in its statewide ranking in recent years, dropping from 194th out of 476 Minnesota high schools in 2022-2023 to 247th out of 450 in 2024-2025, despite maintaining a respectable graduation rate of 84.2% and dropout rate of 4.4% in 2023-2024.

Across the district, there are stark differences in proficiency rates between the elementary, middle, and high schools, with the elementary schools outperforming their counterparts at the higher grade levels. Additionally, the schools in the Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools district have relatively high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 33.33% at Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High to 52.94% at Hillside Early Childhood Center, indicating a significant level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)								MCA-III Reading (2025)								Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Benton-Stearns Education District	Public	5-12	324 3rd Avenue South	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	Benton-Stearns Education District	No	No	No	No	(320) 252-8427	24	4	6.4	66.7%	19 (79.2%)	2 (8.3%)	2 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.2%)								(n/a)								7.1								0.0
Benton Stearns Education District 1	Public	12	324 3rd Ave South	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	Benton-Stearns Education District	No	No	No	No	(320) 253-8940	17	2	8.5	58.8%	17 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Mississippi Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	1003 S 4th St	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(320) 252-0122	808	54	15.0	35.8%	641 (79.3%)	31 (3.8%)	50 (6.2%)	6 (0.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (9.4%)	54.2	432^nd of 872 public elementary schools	50.5%		44.4	550^th of 881 public elementary schools	37.6%	118	69.9	46.4	38.4					52.0	47.3	37.1	60.2					48.0	$9,911
Pleasantview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1009 N 6th Ave	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 253-0506	734	55	13.3	42.0%	549 (74.8%)	34 (4.6%)	48 (6.5%)	14 (1.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (11.7%)	51.1	465^th of 872 public elementary schools	46.7%		58.1	402^nd of 881 public elementary schools	54.4%	63	51.7	53.8	41.4					48.6	42.4	40.6	58.9					47.9	$11,315
Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High	Public	9-12	1835 Osauka Rd NE	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(320) 253-4700	1,319	69	19.1	29.6%	1,095 (83.0%)	55 (4.2%)	59 (4.5%)	21 (1.6%)	8 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	80 (6.1%)	51.8	247^th of 450 public high schools	45.1%		57.9	218^th of 480 public high schools	54.6%	29							30.9	30.9							44.6	44.6	$12,239
Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School	Public	6-8	901 1st St S	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(320) 654-9073	1,055	54	19.6	32.8%	863 (81.8%)	44 (4.2%)	65 (6.2%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (7.2%)	42	312^th of 519 public middle schools	39.9%		45.2	301^st of 545 public middle schools	44.8%	11				26.9	26.7	18.3		24.0				54.6	41.2	41.5		45.7	$10,864
Sauk Rapids-Rice Online School (SRR	Public	6-12	1833 Osauka Road NE	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(320) 258-1822	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Alternative Learning Center - Sauk Rapids	Public	7-12	1833 Osauka Rd NE	Sauk Rapids	56379	Benton County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 253-4703	59	0		59.3%	35 (59.3%)	1 (1.7%)	11 (18.6%)	3 (5.1%)	2 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (11.9%)								(n/a)

Cities Near Sauk Rapids

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Saint Cloud	3.64 mi	24	423^rd
Sartell	4.34 mi	9	40^th
Waite Park	6.63 mi	5	438^th
Saint Joseph	10.41 mi	1	322^nd
Rice	10.73 mi	1	298^th

See the top MN Minnesota cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.