Summary:
Schools in the Deer River Public School District in Minnesota serve about 828 students across three schools — one elementary (PK–5), two high schools, and no standalone middle school, so grades 6–8 are part of Deer River Secondary.
The district as a whole ranks 266th of 458 with a 42nd percentile and 2 stars, but that average hides two very different schools. King Elementary is the standout: it ranks at the 79th percentile with 4 stars, up from the 66th percentile three years ago. In 2025–2026 it beat both the district and the state in math (62.8%), reading (67.1%), and science (29.4%), with especially strong 3rd grade results — 82.0% in math and 76.1% in reading. Its student–teacher ratio is a low 8.5, and its free/reduced lunch rate of 67.95% is the second highest in the district. One thing to watch: science fell from 41.67% to 29.4% year over year.
Deer River Secondary is the largest school (425 students) and the main concern. It ranks at the 17th percentile with 1 star, down from 2 stars, and trails the state in all three subjects — math 21.1% vs. 44.9%, reading 37.3% vs. 48.6%, and science 12.4% vs. 25.5%. Its graduation rate of 87.0% is above district and state averages, but its dropout rate of 7.4% is also above both. Deer River High School ALP, a 13-student program in grades 10–12, has suppressed test scores and an unreported student–teacher ratio, so its academics cannot be judged; only its 76.92% free/reduced lunch rate is known.
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