Best Public Schools in Verndale, MN

The city of Verndale, Minnesota is home to two public schools: Verndale Elementary and Verndale Secondary, both part of the Verndale Public School District. While the schools have shown some signs of improvement in recent years, they continue to face challenges in academic performance, with test scores generally below the state average.

Verndale Elementary has seen its statewide ranking improve, moving from a 1-star rating to a 2-star rating over the past few years. However, its math proficiency rates remain low, ranging from 12.5% to 57.58% across grade levels. Reading proficiency is more mixed, with some grades performing above the state average and others below. Verndale Secondary has maintained a 2-star rating, indicating average performance compared to other high schools in Minnesota. Its math and reading proficiency rates are also below the state average, ranging from 7.69% to 38.89% and 15.38% to 38.24%, respectively.

Both Verndale Elementary and Verndale Secondary have relatively high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 54.96% and 52.23% respectively in 2023-2024. This suggests the Verndale community faces significant economic challenges, which may impact student performance and educational outcomes. While the schools have smaller class sizes, with student-teacher ratios of 11.7 and 14.2, respectively, this has not yet translated to significantly improved academic results.