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Best High Schools in Staples, MN

At a glance

Schools

309

Students

Districts

Top rankedStaples-Motley Senior High238^th of 473 Minnesota high schools

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Summary:

Staples, Minnesota has one public high school, Staples-Motley Senior High, serving grades 9–12 in the Staples-Motley School District with 309 students and a 16.3 student-teacher ratio. Because it is the city’s only listed high school, there are no other Staples high schools to compare it with; parents can look at its results over time and against district and state averages. The school’s record includes graduation and dropout rates, MCA Math/Reading/Science proficiency, a free/reduced-lunch percentage of 38.19%, and a district rank of 237 of 458 (48th percentile, 2 stars).

Its strongest outcomes are completion and Science. In 2024–2025, the graduation rate was 94.2%, tied with the district and 9.3 percentage points above the state’s 84.9%, while the dropout rate was 2.9%, below the state’s 4.2%. Science proficiency was 45.57% in 2024–2025, above the district’s 30.14% and state’s 26.15%; in 2025–2026 it was 32.9%, still above the district’s 19% and state’s 25.5%. Reading was mixed: 51.95% in 2024–2025, above district and state, then 41.7% in 2025–2026, above the district’s 37.3% but below the state’s 48.6%. Math is the clearest concern: 25% in 2025–2026 versus district 39.9% and state 44.9%; 11th-grade Math was 25%, equal to the district but 10.3 points below the state.

Proficiency declined in all three subjects from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026—Math 33.33% to 25%, Reading 51.95% to 41.7%, and Science 45.57% to 32.9%—while state rates dipped only slightly. The school’s rank percentile also slipped from 65 in 2023–2024 to 60 in 2024–2025 to 50 in 2025–2026, though it kept 3 stars each year. Reading is especially volatile, and the exam label changed from MCA-III to MCA-IV between years, so year-over-year Reading comparisons should be treated with caution. Overall, the profile is mixed: strong graduation and dropout results, a relative Science strength, a clear Math weakness, and a recent downward trend in proficiency and rank percentile. Free/reduced lunch and student-teacher ratio are useful context but are not benchmarked in this record.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)		MCA-IV Science (2026)		MCA-III Math (2026)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
Freshwater Staples Alternative Learning Center	Public	7-12	1830 Airport Rd	Staples	56482	Wadena County	Freshwater Education District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(218) 631-3505	0			—															(n/a)
FED Staples-Motley Credit Recovery	Public	9-12	401 Centennial Dr	Staples	56479	Todd County	Freshwater Education District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(218) 631-3505	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Staples-Motley Senior High	Public	9-12	401 Centennial Dr	Staples	56479	Todd County	Staples-Motley School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 894-2431	309	19	16.3	38.2%	275 (89.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.5%)	53.1	238^th of 473 public high schools	49.7%		63.1	178^th of 450 public high schools	60.4%	60	41.7	41.7	32.9	32.9	25.0	25.0	$13,669

Cities Near Staples

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Verndale	11 mi	2	399^th
Bertha	14.19 mi	3	199^th
Pillager	15.55 mi	5	167^th
Wadena	16.71 mi	9	328^th
Browerville	18.9 mi	3	336^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.