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Elementary Schools in Paynesville Area Schools

At a glance

DistrictPaynesville Area Schools279^th of 458 Minnesota districtsFull district overview →

School

429

Students

Top rankedPaynesville Area Elementary359^th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools

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Summary:

Paynesville Area Elementary is the only elementary school in Paynesville Area Schools, serving PK–5 in Paynesville, MN, with 429 students. It is therefore the district’s elementary standout by default. The available data include rank history for 2023–2024, 2024–2025, and 2025–2026; MCA-III/MCA-IV proficiency for 2024–2025 and 2025–2026; free/reduced lunch at 29.6% in 2024–2025; a student/teacher ratio of 14.4 in 2024–2025; and a district rank of 279 of 458, or 39th percentile, with 2 stars.

The school’s strongest results are in Math and Reading. In 2025–2026, Math proficiency was 50.0% versus 44.9% statewide, and Reading was 55.5% versus 48.6% statewide. Both were also above the district averages of 39.4% in Math and 46.4% in Reading. Science was 24.1%, above the district’s 15.2% but 1.4 points below the state’s 25.5%. In 2024–2025, the school was above district and state in all three subjects: Math 57.69%, Reading 59.62%, and Science 36.51%. Grade-level bright spots include 4th-grade Reading at 64.3% versus 48.8% statewide and 3rd-grade Math at 61.7% versus 57.9% statewide. In 2025–2026, it ranked 359 of 869 Minnesota elementary schools, the 59th percentile, with 3 stars—still above the median.

Recent trends are the main watch item. The school’s rank slipped from 76th percentile with 4 stars in 2023–2024 to 71st percentile with 4 stars in 2024–2025 and 59th percentile with 3 stars in 2025–2026. All three subjects declined year over year: Math from 57.69% to 50.0% (–7.69 points), Reading from 59.62% to 55.5% (–4.12 points), and Science from 36.51% to 24.1% (–12.41 points). The school’s declines were larger than the state’s in all three subjects, and Science fell below the state after being above it the prior year. Math proficiency also drops by grade: 61.7% in 3rd, 53.5% in 4th, and 38.0% in 5th, which is 3.9 points below the state. Reading in 3rd and 5th is essentially at the state level, while 4th grade remains the standout. Overall, the school performs above its district and generally above the state in Math and Reading, but recent declines—especially in Science—and the lower rank suggest performance has softened.

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)				MCA-IV Science (2026)		MCA-III Math (2026)				Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Paynesville Area Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	205 W Mill St	Paynesville	56362	Stearns County	Paynesville Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 243-3725	429	30	14.4	29.6%	388 (90.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.8%)	59.1	359^th of 869 public elementary schools	58.7%		71	257^th of 872 public elementary schools	70.5%	102	46.7	64.3	54.4	55.5	24.1	24.1	61.7	53.5	38.0	50.0	94%	0%	$11,355

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
West Central Education District	0.16 mi	5
Eden Valley-Watkins School District	9.5 mi	4	93^rd
Rocori Public School District	11.7 mi	7	165^th
New London-Spicer School District	11.94 mi	6	45^th
Region 6 and 8-SW/Wc Service Coop	12.34 mi	28

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.