Summary:
Starbuck, Minnesota has two schools serving a combined 141 students: Glacial Hills Elementary, a PK–6 elementary with 97 students, and Minnewaska Area WIN Academy, an alternative K–12 school with 44 students; the city has no reported traditional middle or high school, so families generally look to the wider Minnewaska area for those grades.
Glacial Hills Elementary is the standout for a sharp one-year decline. It reached the 58th percentile in 2024–2025, then fell to the 11th percentile in 2025–2026 — a 47-percentage-point drop. Math fell from 64.1% to 30.2% and Reading from 51.28% to 27.9%, moving it from above the state average to well below it. At the grade level, 3rd Grade Reading was 5.6% against a state figure of 46.8%. Science was suppressed in both years, and 5th and 6th grade Math/Reading plus 5th Grade Science were suppressed in 2025–2026, so the full picture is only partly visible. Its district, also Glacial Hills Elementary, ranks 420 out of 458 (8th percentile, 0 stars), with 51.55% free/reduced lunch and a student-teacher ratio of 8.8.
Minnewaska Area WIN Academy stands out for its contrast with its district. Minnewaska School District ranks 18 out of 458 statewide (96th percentile, 5 stars), yet the school's own 2025–2026 proficiency was 12% in Math, 20% in Reading, and 0% in Science — the Science value reported, not suppressed, and down from 9.09%. Math and Reading improved slightly from 8% and 14.81% in 2024–2025 but remain far below district and state figures. All of its grade-level breakdowns are suppressed. It serves 70.45% free/reduced lunch with a 4.0 student-teacher ratio. With only 97 and 44 students, single-year swings at both schools can be volatile rather than long-term trends.
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