Summary:
Lester Prairie Public School District is a small Minnesota district serving PK–12 students in two schools—Lester Prairie Elementary for PK–6 and Lester Prairie Secondary for grades 7–12—with 435 students total in Lester Prairie and no separate middle or alternative school. It is ranked 322nd of 458 in Minnesota, at the 30th percentile with 2 stars.
Lester Prairie Secondary stands out for 2024–2025 graduation outcomes: 100.0% graduation and 0.0% dropout, compared with 84.9% and 4.2% statewide, and a 2024–2025 rank of 127th of 450, 72nd percentile with 4 stars. Its 2025–2026 math was above state in 11th grade (37.8% vs. 35.3%) and 7th grade (41.5% vs. 40.3%). But secondary reading was 27.6% proficient vs. 48.6% statewide, with 10th-grade reading at 17.1% vs. 42.5%, and its 2025–2026 rank fell to 299th of 473, 37th percentile with 2 stars. Lester Prairie Elementary’s relative strength is reading: 39.2% in 2025–2026, above the district’s 33.8% and the secondary’s 27.6%, though below the state’s 48.6%; third-grade reading was 45.8% vs. 46.8%. Elementary math was 45.77% in 2024–2025, above district and state, and its student-teacher ratio is lower at 11.9 vs. 17.4. Still, elementary ranked 643rd of 869, 26th percentile with 1 star, and science was 11.5% vs. 25.5% statewide.
Overall, district proficiency in 2025–2026 was below state in math (33.0% vs. 44.9%), reading (33.8% vs. 48.6%), and science (14.4% vs. 25.5%). Math dropped sharply from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, and science remains low, including 8th-grade science at 6.9% and elementary science at 11.5%. Rankings are volatile, especially at Lester Prairie Secondary. Lester Prairie Elementary has a higher free/reduced lunch rate (36.15% vs. 27.48%) but a lower student-teacher ratio. Because enrollment is small, year-to-year swings should be interpreted cautiously.
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