Summary:
Elementary schools in the Pipestone Area School District come down to two very different buildings: Pipestone Elementary, a PK–5 school with 580 students, and Heartland Elementary, a K–8 school with just 12 students. The Pipestone Area School District as a whole ranks 378th of 458 Minnesota districts, in the 17th percentile with 1 star, so parents should read any school result here against a district that sits in the bottom fifth of the state.
Pipestone Elementary is the district's academic standout. In 2025–2026 it beat district averages in every reported subject and grade: all-grade Math was 37.9% versus the district's 24.9%, Reading 41.8% versus 33.8%, and Science 16.7% versus 13.1%. That said, it trails the state in most measures — the state's all-grade figures were 44.9% in Math, 48.6% in Reading, and 25.5% in Science. Its best relative result was 4th grade Reading at 48.8%, exactly matching the state, with 4th grade Math also comparatively strong at 48.8%. Its weakest spots were 5th grade Reading at 36.3% (18.2 points below the state), 3rd grade Math at 38.7% (19.2 points below), and 5th grade Math at 25.6% (16.3 points below). The school has held 2 stars for three years, but its state percentile slipped from 46 to 41 to 30.
Heartland Elementary cannot be judged academically from this data: the state suppressed every school-level test score, so its performance is unknown rather than low. Its profile is defined by smallness — 12 students, grades K–8, a 75% free/reduced-lunch rate versus 49.14% at Pipestone Elementary, and a 5.1 student-teacher ratio versus 13.4. In short, one school reports above-district results but below-state proficiency, while the other remains a very small, academically unreported option.
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