Summary:
Schools in Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton come down to two buildings serving roughly 629 students: Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Elementary for grades PK–6 (317 students) and Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Sec for grades 7–12 (312 students), meaning there is no standalone middle school — the secondary building covers both middle and high school. The district ranks 60th of 458 Minnesota districts, in the 87th percentile with 4 stars.
The elementary school is the academic engine. It earns 4 stars and ranks 152 of 869 schools (83rd percentile), up from 185 of 881 two years earlier. It beats both the district and the state in every subject: math 66.3 vs district 58.8 vs state 44.9, reading 62.0 vs 58.3 vs 48.6, and science 46.3 vs 32.0 vs 25.5. Grades 4–6 are especially strong, with 5th grade reading at 78.0 vs the state's 54.5 and 5th grade math at 75.6 vs 41.9. The watch point is 3rd grade, where math is 53.2 vs state 57.9 and reading is 44.7 vs 46.8.
The secondary school is the completion standout: 98.5% graduation vs the state's 84.9% and a 1.4% dropout rate vs 4.2%. It rates 3 stars, ranks in the 65th percentile, and improved from the 53rd percentile in 2023–2024, though it plateaued this past year. Its all-grade proficiency trails the district in all three subjects (math 49.6, reading 53.7, science 25.3), even while it edges the state in math and reading. The biggest academic gaps are 8th grade science (12.8 vs state 16.7) and 11th grade math (31.4 vs 35.3), while 7th and 8th grade math and reading look strong. Both schools serve similar populations, with free/reduced lunch near 25–26% and low student-teacher ratios of 11.5 and 12.4.
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