Mankato Public School District

The Mankato Public School District serves roughly 8,053 students across 20 schools — 10 elementary, 2 middle, 4 high, and 4 alternative programs — in the Mankato area of southern Minnesota, and is rated 4 stars, ranking 105th of 458 Minnesota districts (77th percentile). It outperforms the state in all three tested subjects: 55.0% vs. 44.9% in math, 54.3% vs. 48.6% in reading, and 26.4% vs. 25.5% in science.

Elementary schools drive those results, averaging about 67.7% in math and 59.9% in reading. Bridges Community Elementary is the top all-around standout: 5 stars, 92nd percentile, 76.4% math and 73.4% reading, plus the district's lowest free/reduced-price lunch rate at 19.12%. Eagle Lake Elementary leads elementary math at 77.6%, Roosevelt Elementary leads science at 42.9%, and Washington Elementary posts 75.2% math. Among middle schools, Dakota Meadows Middle School (83rd percentile) beats both district and state in reading. At the high school level, Mankato West Senior High has the strongest graduation (91.7%) and dropout (4.3%) profile, while Mankato East Senior High leads in End-of-Course science at 41.9%.

Areas to watch: science is the district's narrowest advantage over the state and slipped from 28.18% to 26.4% year over year; Mankato West Senior High fell in rank from 35th to 147th over three years; Rosa Parks Elementary ranks in the 41st percentile; and Central High Area Learning Center, an alternative setting, has a 26.4% graduation rate and a 32.3% dropout rate. Poverty is not perfectly predictive — Franklin Elementary has a 52.06% lunch rate yet scores 67.3% in math and 61.5% in reading. Several small alternative programs have limited or suppressed test data.