Summary:
Barnum Public School District is a small Minnesota district with two schools — Barnum Elementary (PK–6, 348 students) and Barnum Secondary (7–12, 312 students) — serving roughly 660 students; because there is no middle school, grades 7–8 are taught in the secondary building. The district ranks 132 of 458 Minnesota districts, placing in the 71st percentile with 4 stars.
Reading is the district's strongest area: both schools beat the state's 48.6% in reading, with Barnum Elementary at 55.2% and Barnum Secondary at 50.3%. Math is more mixed: Barnum Elementary is above the state at 46.4% versus 44.9%, while Barnum Secondary trails at 36.0%. Even so, Barnum Secondary ranks higher overall — 143 of 473, 70th percentile, 4 stars — than Barnum Elementary, which sits at 349 of 869, 60th percentile, 3 stars. That difference likely reflects the secondary school's graduation and dropout results counting toward its ranking.
The biggest strength at Barnum Secondary is completion: 93.7% graduate versus 84.9% statewide, with a 0.0% dropout rate compared to the state's 4.2%. Grade-level bright spots include 4th-grade math at 67.4% versus 55.2%, 6th-grade reading at 67.9% versus 53.4%, 7th-grade math at 53.2% versus 40.3%, and 10th-grade reading at 51.0% versus 42.5%. Weak spots include 8th-grade math at 24.5% versus 42.3%, plus 5th-grade math at 31.7% and 5th-grade reading at 43.9%, both below state. Science slipped about 6.5 points district-wide while the state fell only 0.65 points. Barnum Elementary improved from 51st to 60th percentile but remains below its 2023–2024 result of 73rd percentile with 4 stars.
Thank you for your feedback!