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Brainerd Public School District

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

203^rdof 446 Minnesota districts▼ 46

Better than 54% of Minnesota districts

Elementary 6 Middle 2 High 3 Alternative 1Grades PK, KG-12

804 Oak St
Brainerd, MN 56401-3755·(218) 454-6900·All Minnesota district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 54.5% of districts

Schools

6,079

Students

Top rankedLowell Elementary100^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Harrison Elementary up 120 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Brainerd Early Childhood Sp. Education 5.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

0★

5 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Minnesota districts →See the top-ranked Minnesota schools →

Summary:

The Brainerd Public School District in Minnesota consists of 12 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 1 alternative school. The district as a whole is ranked 203 out of 446 in Minnesota and is rated 3 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out as high-performing. Lowell Elementary is ranked 15th out of 845 Minnesota elementary schools and has a 5-star rating, with consistently high proficiency rates in both math and reading. Nisswa Elementary is ranked 147th out of 881 Minnesota elementary schools and has a 4-star rating, with strong math and reading proficiency, especially in 4th grade. Forestview Middle is ranked 116th out of 529 Minnesota middle schools and has a 4-star rating, with high proficiency rates across all grade levels in both math and reading.

In contrast, the data reveals a stark contrast in academic performance between the top-performing schools and the lower-performing schools, such as Riverside Elementary, Garfield Elementary, and the alternative programs. The schools with the highest free/reduced lunch rates tend to have the lowest proficiency rates, suggesting a potential link between socioeconomic status and academic achievement. Additionally, Brainerd Senior High has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, and the alternative schools have very low proficiency rates, high dropout rates, and high free/reduced lunch rates, indicating the need for additional support and resources to better serve their high-needs student populations.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)								MCA-III Reading (2025)								Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Baxter Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	12191 Jasperwood Drive	Baxter	56425	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6400	506	34	14.9	31.8%	462 (91.3%)	9 (1.8%)	11 (2.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.8%)	68.8	282^nd of 872 public elementary schools	67.7%		73.8	220^th of 881 public elementary schools	75.0%	62	64.3	59.1						61.8	53.6	54.3						53.9	$11,504
Brainerd Senior High	Public	9-12	702 S 5th St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6200	1,805	90	19.9	31.5%	1,612 (89.3%)	24 (1.3%)	45 (2.5%)	17 (0.9%)	21 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (4.8%)	58.8	209^th of 450 public high schools	53.6%		73.4	116^th of 480 public high schools	75.8%	93							41.4	41.4							43.4	43.4	$11,859
Garfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1120 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6450	250	21	12.1	52.4%	203 (81.2%)	2 (0.8%)	8 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (10.0%)	26.9	674^th of 872 public elementary schools	22.7%		52.2	468^th of 881 public elementary schools	46.9%	206	24.2	42.6						32.5	18.5	51.9						33.6	$12,674
Harrison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1515 Oak St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6500	230	19	12.1	59.1%	200 (87.0%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	17 (7.4%)	45.3	518^th of 872 public elementary schools	40.6%		32.3	638^th of 881 public elementary schools	27.6%	120	68.2	41.3						54.4	52.3	19.6						35.6	$14,382
Lowell Elementary	Public	K-4	704 3rd Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6550	355	26	13.9	39.7%	314 (88.5%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.4%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.5%)	84.4	100^th of 872 public elementary schools	88.5%		88	62^nd of 881 public elementary schools	93.0%	38	74.7	71.6						73.2	59.5	67.6						63.4	$11,809
Nisswa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	5533 Lakers Lane	Nisswa	56468	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 961-6860	249	18	13.8	27.3%	233 (93.6%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.6%)	75.4	203^rd of 872 public elementary schools	76.7%		79.7	147^th of 881 public elementary schools	83.3%	56	64.3	83.0						72.8	46.4	66.0						55.3	$12,324
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	220 3rd St NW	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6800	407	40	10.2	57.5%	344 (84.5%)	4 (1.0%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (8.1%)	44.4	525^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.8%		41.2	573^rd of 881 public elementary schools	35.0%	48	44.8	52.1						47.9	41.7	45.1						43.1	$15,397
Lincoln Education Center	Public, Alternative	3-12	400 Quince St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6600	105	16	6.6	75.2%	78 (74.3%)	5 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	11 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.6%)								(n/a)								0.0							18.8	8.8	$31,175
Independent School District (Isd) 181 Learning Center	Public	8-12	311 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-5400	166	11	14.8	52.4%	140 (84.3%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.4%)	11.1	412^th of 450 public high schools	8.4%		25.3	370^th of 480 public high schools	22.9%	42							2.4	2.4							27.3	27.3	$13,935
Brainerd Early Childhood Sp. Education	Public	PK	5546 Fairview Rd	Baxter	56425	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-5438	151	26	5.7	57.0%	126 (83.4%)	2 (1.3%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (9.3%)								(n/a)																	$28,603
Middle Level Alternative Program	Public	5-8	311 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-5400	14	2	7.0	71.4%	11 (78.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)								(n/a)								6.3								46.7	$2,142
Forestview Middle	Public	5-8	12149 Knollwood Dr	Baxter	56425	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6000	1,626	105	15.5	39.5%	1,438 (88.4%)	18 (1.1%)	38 (2.3%)	6 (0.4%)	35 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (5.6%)	69	143^rd of 519 public middle schools	72.4%		72.7	123^rd of 545 public middle schools	77.4%	20			36.1	36.3	40.3	52.8		41.4			60.5	52.7	52.2	55.3		55.1	$10,199
Brainerd Online School	Public	9-12	702 S 5th St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6273	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Welc - Vpk	Public	PK	5546 Fairview Rd	Baxter	56425	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(218) 454-5430	215	0		45.6%	181 (84.2%)	2 (0.9%)	11 (5.1%)	4 (1.9%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.5%)								(n/a)

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Discovery Woods	4.19 mi	1	351^st
Pillager Public School District	9.54 mi	3	166^th
Freshwater Education District	9.58 mi	21
Central Lakes Adventure School	10.29 mi	1
Crosby-Ironton Public School District	17.85 mi	2	133^rd

See the top MN Minnesota districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.