Tower-Soudan Elementary

Tower-Soudan Elementary is a small rural PK–6 school in Tower, Minnesota, serving about 95 students as part of the St. Louis County School District. For 2025–26 it ranks 583rd out of 869 Minnesota elementary schools (33rd percentile, 2 stars), while its district ranks 323rd out of 458 districts in the state (29th percentile, 1 star). All-grade proficiency stands at 40.9% in math, 42.2% in reading, and 16.7% in science.

Compared with nearby schools, math is the clearest relative strength. The school's 40.9% math proficiency is 10 points higher than Babbitt Elementary and 4.5 points higher than Mesabi East Elementary, and it beats its own district average by more than 9 points, though it still trails the state average. Reading sits in the middle: above Babbitt and the district, but below Mesabi East and the state. Science is the standout weak spot, at 16.7%—below the district and state, and far below Babbitt's 43.8%. Because science is typically tested in 5th grade, that figure may reflect a single small cohort, but it still flags a subject-area concern. Sixth-grade math and reading scores are suppressed by the state, so they are unknown rather than a weakness.

About 58.95% of students were eligible for free or reduced lunch in 2024–25, down from roughly 71% two years earlier, and the student/teacher ratio was 10.9—higher than Babbitt's 9.8 but much lower than Mesabi East's 14.8, meaning relatively small classes compared with the larger nearby school. The school's ranking has swung over time: as high as the 74th percentile with 4 stars in 2011–12, down to the low 20s in recent years, then up to 33rd percentile with 2 stars in 2025–26. With only 95 students, a few children can shift results by several percentage points, so treat single-year numbers as directional.