Kelliher Public School District

Kelliher Public School District in Minnesota serves about 311 students across two schools: Kelliher Elementary, which covers grades PK–6 with 168 students, and Kelliher Secondary, which serves grades 7–12 with 143 students. There is no separate middle school or alternative school in this data, so the middle grades are included with the high school. The district is ranked 347 out of 458 in Minnesota, in the 24th percentile with 1 star. About two-thirds of students at each school qualify for free or reduced lunch, so this is a relatively high-poverty district.

Kelliher Elementary is the stronger of the two schools. It holds 2 stars and a 33rd percentile rank, and it beats the district average in all three tested subjects: Math (41.9% vs 33.1%), Reading (32.6% vs 31.4%), and Science (19.0% vs 13.8%). Even so, it remains below the state in every subject, with Math closest at just 3.0 points behind. Its standout result is 4th grade, where Math proficiency is 75.0% (about 19.8 points above state) and Reading is 54.2%. But that strength is uneven: 3rd grade Math is 15.8% versus 57.9% statewide, and 6th grade Reading is 19.0% versus 53.4%.

Kelliher Secondary has improved its rank the most in the district, climbing from the 15th percentile to the 30th over three years, though it still holds 1 star and trails the district in every all-grade subject. Math (21.0%) and Science (11.4%) are far below state rates of 44.9% and 25.5%, and 8th grade Science is just 4.8%. 10th grade Reading, at 37.5%, is only 5.0 points below state and is its closest result. The biggest concern is completion: the graduation rate is 76.1% versus 84.9% statewide, and the dropout rate is 14.2% — more than three times the state's 4.2%. Parents should weigh the elementary school's relative strength and its 4th grade bright spot against the secondary school's academic gaps and high dropout rate.