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Brainerd Public School District

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At a glance

249^thof 458 Minnesota districts▼ 46

Better than 45% of Minnesota districts

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

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

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 45.6% of districts

Schools

6,079

Students

Top rankedLowell Elementary122^nd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Baxter Elementary up 84 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Brainerd Early Childhood Sp. Education 5.7 students per teacher

✦

Newly ranked this year

Middle Level Alternative Program

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:

Brainerd Public School District serves 5,713 students across 11 schools — six elementaries, two middle schools, two high schools and one alternative program — and carries an overall district rank of 249 of 458 (46th percentile, 2 stars) in Minnesota. Elementary grades span PK/K–4/5 (35.0% of enrollment), middle grades 5–8 (28.7%), and high school grades 8/9–12 (34.5%), with Brainerd Senior High and Forestview Middle together holding roughly 60% of all students.

Against state benchmarks of 44.9% math and 48.6% reading, four schools stand well above. Lowell Elementary posts the district's highest math proficiency at 71.7% and reading at 62.3%, ranking 122 of 869 (86th percentile, 4 stars), and does so with a free/reduced-lunch rate of 39.72% — higher than some schools that score below it. Nisswa Elementary follows at 68.4% math and 58.5% reading with the district's lowest poverty rate (27.31%), and Baxter Elementary records 62.9% math and 62.0% reading. Forestview Middle ranks 130 of 546 (76th percentile). Brainerd Senior High has the district's best graduation rate at 93.9% and a dropout rate of 1.0%.

At the other end, Garfield Elementary posts the lowest elementary proficiency (38.7% math, 37.0% reading), driven by a 4th-grade math figure of 20.3% against a state 55.2%. Riverside Elementary (42.3% math, 41.4% reading) and Harrison Elementary (52.1% math but 43.8% reading) also trail the state in reading. ISD 181 Learning Center graduates 52.3%, while Lincoln Education Center and the Middle Level Alternative Program report very low proficiency, with many grade-level figures suppressed by the state. The internal spread is wide: elementary math ranges 33 points, and no school clears the state bar in 8th-grade science.

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)								MCA-IV Science (2026)				MCA-III Math (2026)								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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	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	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%)	75.4	198^th of 869 public elementary schools	77.2%		68.8	282^nd of 872 public elementary schools	67.7%	84	59.1	64.9						62.0					70.0	55.9						62.9	$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%)	60.3	199^th of 473 public high schools	57.9%		58.8	209^th of 450 public high schools	53.6%	10							38.6	38.6			36.3	36.3							35.6	35.6	$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%)	33.3	618^th of 869 public elementary schools	28.9%		26.9	674^th of 872 public elementary schools	22.7%	56	45.5	29.7						37.0					60.0	20.3						38.7	$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%)	48.3	486^th of 869 public elementary schools	44.1%		45.3	518^th of 872 public elementary schools	40.6%	32	49.0	37.8						43.8					60.8	42.2						52.1	$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%)	82.4	122^nd of 869 public elementary schools	86.0%		84.4	100^th of 872 public elementary schools	88.5%	22	62.1	62.5						62.3					69.2	73.8						71.7	$11,809
Nisswa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	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%)	76.9	182^nd of 869 public elementary schools	79.1%		75.4	203^rd of 872 public elementary schools	76.7%	21	61.4	53.6	63.6					58.5	31.8			31.8	64.3	74.1	63.6					68.4	$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%)	36.6	589^th of 869 public elementary schools	32.2%		44.4	525^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.8%	64	36.8	45.2						41.4					45.6	39.6						42.3	$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)								3.7			0.0	0.0							0.0	0.0	$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%)	12.8	422^nd of 473 public high schools	10.8%		11.1	412^th of 450 public high schools	8.4%	10							17.4	17.4			16.7	16.7							5.5	5.5	$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%)	4.7	537^th of 546 public middle schools	1.6%					(n/a)						10.0		17.6		0.0		0.0						0.0		0.0	$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%)	68.9	130^th of 546 public middle schools	76.2%		69	143^rd of 519 public middle schools	72.4%	13			59.6	61.0	42.6	60.4		55.9	27.7	15.6		21.3			46.4	37.9	39.8	52.7		44.2	$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)
Lincoln Educational Center Summer C&T	Public, Alternative	2-12	400 Quince St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(218) 454-6600	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Discovery Woods	4.19 mi	1	430^th
Pillager Public School District	9.54 mi	3	146^th
Freshwater Education District	9.58 mi	21
Crosby-Ironton Public School District	17.85 mi	2	156^th
Pequot Lakes Public Schools	18.78 mi	3	34^th

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.