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South Ridge Elementary

Q: Is South Ridge Elementary a good school?

South Ridge Elementary ranks 555 th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

555^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 36% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

South Ridge Elementary is a PK–6 school serving 303 students in Culver, a small community in northeastern Minnesota's St. Louis County, and it is part of the St. Louis County School District. It ranks 555th of 869 Minnesota schools in 2025–2026 (36th percentile, 2 stars) — below the state middle but above its own district, which sits at the 29th percentile with 1 star.

Test results split sharply by subject. Math proficiency of 43.2% is close to the state's 44.9% and well above the district's 31.7%. Reading is 43.9%, below the state's 48.6%. Science is the standout weakness: 8.1% proficient, less than half the district's 17.1% and about a third of the state's 25.5%, continuing a steep three-year slide. Grade by grade, third-grade math is a genuine bright spot at 71.8%, above both district and state; but math falls to 37.1% in 4th, 29.7% in 5th, and 28.6% in 6th. Sixth-grade reading is 32.1%, far below the state's 53.4%.

Compared with nearby schools, South Ridge sits in the lower tier — Winterquist Elementary and Hermantown Elementary both rank at the 90th percentile, Pike Lake Elementary at 81st, and Churchill Elementary at 75th, while Floodwood Elementary is lower at 22nd. Notably, Churchill serves a nearly identical share of low-income students (39.6% vs. 39.27%) yet reaches far higher proficiency, so demographics alone don't explain the gap. The school's student-teacher ratio of 12.8 is smaller than several higher-performing neighbors. One real strength: effectiveness for low-income students ranks at the 67th percentile, well above the school's overall 36th, and special education students also ranked above the school average in recent years.

303

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,225

Per pupil spending ?

39.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

8162 Swan Lake Rd
Culver, MN 55779-8888

(218) 345-6789

District: St. Louis County School District

Students who attend South Ridge Elementary usually attend:

High:

South Ridge Secondary

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.8%

Two or more races:

11.6%

American Indian:

3.6%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare South Ridge Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2016 → 36th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 17 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg33%

Minnesota avg43%

555^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 27% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Elementary Schools in the St. Louis County School District

323^rd of 458St. Louis County School District among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	40.8	555 of 869	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.6	516 of 872	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.8	585 of 881	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.7	579 of 845	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.1	594 of 858	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.8	443 of 869	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.4	599 of 870	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.8	566 of 847	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.0	463 of 853	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.4	617 of 848	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	28.0	677 of 840	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	30.9	653 of 826	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	411 of 790	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.5	474 of 799	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.5	574 of 809	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.7	548 of 787	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.9	536 of 799	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.3	282 of 783	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.2	510 of 787	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.4	535 of 774	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	62.0	255 of 764	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.6	275 of 764	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.4	510 of 793	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.8	431 of 774	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.4	374 of 663	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	73.8	126 of 683	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	47.4	420 of 740	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.8	347 of 728	52.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	31.3	588 of 807	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.2	518 of 812	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.0	526 of 826	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	540 of 799	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	575 of 808	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.8	518 of 784	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.4	568 of 798	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.5	525 of 779	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	49.4	20 of 42	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	50.6	265 of 572	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.8	267 of 524	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	356 of 500	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.9	277 of 515	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	26.4	575 of 710	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.2	560 of 714	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	600 of 730	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	571 of 712	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	603 of 725	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.8	406 of 710	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.1	625 of 722	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.4	619 of 712	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)67th percentile+30 vs school

Special Education (2024)54th percentile+20 vs school

Native American (2024)52nd percentile+19 vs school

Female (2026)48th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)19th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading44%-5 vs state

Math43%~ state avg

Science8%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Ridge Elementary

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)					MCA-IV Science (2026)		MCA-III Math (2026)					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 6th 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 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
South Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	8162 Swan Lake Rd	Culver	55779	St. Louis County	St. Louis County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 345-6789	303	24	12.8	39.3%	254 (83.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (11.6%)	40.8	555^th of 869 public elementary schools	36.1%		45.6	516^th of 872 public elementary schools	40.8%	39	46.2	45.7	48.6	32.1	43.9	8.1	8.1	71.8	37.1	29.7	28.6	43.2	$11,225
Pike Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5682 Martin Rd	Duluth	55811	St. Louis County	Proctor Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 729-8214	293	17	16.9	23.2%	277 (94.5%)	3 (1.0%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	78.6	161^st of 869 public elementary schools	81.5%		87.3	69^th of 872 public elementary schools	92.1%	92	53.7	65.5	65.1		62.0	31.0	31.0	73.2	70.7	53.5		66.2	$12,445
Shared Time	Public	PK, KG-6	602 Arthur Street	Cloquet	55720	Carlton County	Cloquet Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 879-1261	6	0		—	6 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$3,366
Churchill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	515 Granite St	Cloquet	55720	Carlton County	Cloquet Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 879-3308	351	35	10.0	39.6%	259 (73.8%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (12.8%)	74.3	215^th of 869 public elementary schools	75.3%		78.8	158^th of 872 public elementary schools	81.9%	57	54.9	61.0			58.1			67.1	62.8			64.9	$12,463
Hermantown Elementary	Public	K-4	5365 W Arrowhead	Hermantown	55811	St. Louis County	Hermantown Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 729-6891	731	45	16.1	17.4%	648 (88.6%)	4 (0.5%)	24 (3.3%)	9 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (6.0%)	85.8	89^th of 869 public elementary schools	89.8%		71.6	248^th of 872 public elementary schools	71.6%	159	66.7	59.7			63.3			83.3	71.0			77.4	$9,348
Floodwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	115 4th Ave W	Floodwood	55736	St. Louis County	Floodwood Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 476-2285	88	9	9.9	42.0%	75 (85.2%)	1 (1.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (12.5%)	25.3	680^th of 869 public elementary schools	21.7%		49.5	479^th of 872 public elementary schools	45.1%	201		42.9	50.0	40.0	48.1	7.1	7.1		35.7	7.1	13.3	28.8	$17,407
Washington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	801 12th St	Cloquet	55720	Carlton County	Cloquet Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 879-3369	495	38	13.0	46.7%	325 (65.7%)	2 (0.4%)	14 (2.8%)	2 (0.4%)	70 (14.1%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (16.6%)	61.7	328^th of 869 public elementary schools	62.3%		71.4	250^th of 872 public elementary schools	71.3%	78	61.0	44.3			52.4			65.3	50.5			57.8	$12,106
Winterquist Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2 E Highway 61	Esko	55733	Carlton County	Esko Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 879-3361	684	42	16.1	16.4%	639 (93.4%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.2%)	86.1	84^th of 869 public elementary schools	90.3%		87	71^st of 872 public elementary schools	91.9%	13	65.6	64.3	78.9	70.2	69.8	27.1	27.1	79.1	73.7	63.5	67.0	70.8	$8,964

Frequently Asked Questions about South Ridge Elementary

Is South Ridge Elementary a good school?

South Ridge Elementary ranks 555^th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Ridge Elementary?

Students at South Ridge Elementary are 84% White, 12% Two or more races, 4% American Indian.

What district is South Ridge Elementary in?

St. Louis County School District

What schools do graduates of South Ridge Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Ridge Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : South Ridge Secondary

How many students attend South Ridge Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 303 students attended South Ridge Elementary.

Rate South Ridge Elementary!

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Schools in Culver, MN

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

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.