Blue Earth Area School District

Blue Earth Area School District in Minnesota serves about 1,056 students across three schools: Blue Earth Area Elementary (PK–5, enrollment 515), Blue Earth Area Middle (grades 6–7, enrollment 163), and Blue Earth Area Secondary (grades 8–12, enrollment 378). Nearly half of all students are in the elementary school, and free/reduced lunch rates are similar across all three (about 50–53%), so family income levels do not vary much from building to building.

Blue Earth Area Secondary is the strongest school in the district, rated 4 stars and ranked 141st of 473 in the state (70th percentile), up from 62nd percentile the prior year and 49th the year before. Its graduation rate is 93.3% versus the state's 84.9%, its dropout rate is 1.3% versus the state's 4.2%, and its science scores are well above state levels—35.9% for all grades and 55.4% at End of Course versus the state's 35%. Math (34.6%) and reading (40.7%) still trail state averages. Blue Earth Area Elementary is also improving, moving from the 32nd to the 43rd percentile but holding at 2 stars. Its early grades are strong—3rd grade math is 72.1% versus the state's 57.9%—yet math drops to 43.8% in 4th grade and 20% in 5th grade, and science is just 15.1% versus the state's 25.5%.

Blue Earth Area Middle is the clearest area of concern: 2 stars, 31st percentile, and slipping from 34th percentile two years ago. Its math (24.1%) and reading (36.9%) are the lowest in the district, and reading fell sharply from 44.59% to 36.9% in one year, despite having the smallest classes (11.4 students per teacher).