Summary:
The Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools district in Minnesota serves roughly 5,025 students across nine schools — six elementary schools (K–5, with some PK–5), one middle school (6–8), and two high schools (9–12) — in and around the communities of Buffalo, Hanover, and Montrose. Overall the district ranks 133rd of 458 Minnesota districts (71st percentile, 4 stars) and outperforms the state average in math, reading, and science, so families here generally start from a strong position.
The clearest standout is Hanover Elementary, ranked 36th of 869 elementary schools (96th percentile, 5 stars), with math at 79.2% and reading at 70.1% proficient — far above both district and state — and it has held that level for three years. Montrose Elementary School of Innov is the biggest riser (42nd to 57th to 70th percentile), scoring above the district average despite the highest elementary poverty rate in the district. Northwinds Elementary moved up to 4 stars, Buffalo Community Middle holds 4 stars, and Buffalo Senior High posts a 96.7% graduation rate and a 1.5% dropout rate.
Where the district has room to grow: Tatanka Elementary STEM School is the lowest-ranked school (32nd percentile, 2 stars), with math at 39.8% and science at 14.8%, while Parkside Elementary and Discovery Elementary also hold 2 stars with below-state scores. The spread between the strongest and weakest elementaries is about 39 points in math and 29 points in science, and nearly every elementary shows a drop in 5th-grade math. Phoenix Learning Center, with 36 students, has state-suppressed test scores and is best evaluated on its own terms.
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