Albany Public School District

Albany Public School District is a five-school, PK–12 district in Minnesota serving roughly 1,744 students, and it ranks 56th of 458 districts statewide — the 88th percentile — with a 4-star district rating. Four of the five schools are rated 4 stars: Albany Area High School (grades 9–12, 584 students), Albany Area Middle School (6–8, 457), Albany Elementary (1–5, 380), and Avon Elementary (PK–5, 264). The fifth, Albany Area Early Learning Center (PK–K, 59 students), is too small to be ranked and has no test data.

Families comparing schools should know both elementaries are strong. Avon Elementary has the district's best reading (61.2% proficient versus 48.6% statewide) and best science (38.3% versus 25.5%), including standout 5th grade results. Albany Elementary has the district's best math (68.2% versus 44.9% state) and improved in all three subjects year over year. Albany Area Middle School is the most consistent performer, beating the state in math and reading, but its science score of 15.4% is the district's clearest weakness, and 8th grade science trails the state. Albany Area High School has striking outcomes — a 96.4% graduation rate versus 84.9% statewide and a 1.4% dropout rate versus 4.2% — yet it is the only school scoring below the state in math and reading.

District-wide, math is the comparative advantage (+14.2 points over the state) while reading is the narrowest margin (+5.1) and the only subject that slipped. The biggest actionable gap is the jump from strong 5th grade science at the elementaries to weak 8th grade science at the middle school. The high school's sharp reading decline is worth confirming with the district. Staffing and poverty indicators do not track neatly with results, and the Early Learning Center — the district's highest-need site — remains the one group this data cannot assess.