Best Public Schools in Zimmerman, MN

Zimmerman, Minnesota is served by four public schools covering grades K–12 — Zimmerman Elementary (K–2), Westwood Elementary (3–5), Zimmerman Middle (6–8), and Zimmerman High School (9–12) — all within the Elk River Public School District, which ranks 37 of 458 districts statewide (92nd percentile, 5 stars). The four schools enroll 2,302 students and form a straightforward K–12 feeder pattern, with roughly 47% of students in K–5, 22% in middle school, and 31% in high school.

Zimmerman Middle is the highest-ranked of the three schools with test data, at 83 of 546 (85th percentile, 4 stars), with all-grade math at 56.9% — above the state's 44.9%. Zimmerman High School ranks 87 of 473 (82nd percentile, 4 stars) and posts the strongest completion outcomes: a 94.5% graduation rate versus the district's 89.0% and state's 84.9%, and a 3.3% dropout rate versus 3.7% and 4.2%. Its science End-of-Course proficiency of 45.3% also beats district and state. Westwood Elementary ranks 326 of 869 (62nd percentile, 3 stars), with solid 3rd- and 4th-grade math (66.9% and 63.0%) but a 5th-grade dip: math 40.7%, reading 52.5%, and science 21.4%, all slightly below state. Zimmerman Elementary has no rank or test-score rows — expected for a K–2 school — and the lowest student-teacher ratio at 17.5.

Grade-level context matters when comparing these schools. Zimmerman High School's all-grade math of 38.6% trails the state's 44.9%, yet its 11th-grade math of 38.6% is above the state's 11th-grade 35.3% — though still below the district's 47.9%. Science is uneven: the high school's EOC results are a standout, while middle and elementary science sit near or below state marks. All three ranked schools improved their rank position from 2023–24 to 2025–26, and staffing ratios range from 25.8 at the high school to 17.5 at Zimmerman Elementary, with Zimmerman Middle and Westwood Elementary close at 20.5 and 20.6.