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Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element

Public Grades PK, KG-5

72^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 92% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element is an exceptional elementary school located in Hector, Minnesota, serving 190 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart District, which is ranked 124 out of 446 districts in the state and rated 4 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Minnesota, with proficiency rates on MCA-III assessments significantly higher than the state averages in both math and reading across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates were 75.61% in math and 65.06% in reading, compared to the state averages of 45.21% and 49.59%, respectively. The school's performance is particularly strong in math, with proficiency rates exceeding 80% in 3rd and 4th grades in recent years. Additionally, the school's performance on MCA-III science assessments is also above the state average.

Despite having a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element's academic performance for this subgroup is exceptional, with the school ranking in the top 3-27 out of 764-793 Minnesota elementary schools over the past three years. The school also outperforms the nearby Hutchinson Park Elementary, Hutchinson Tiger Elementary, and Hutchinson West Elementary, as well as Cedar Mountain Elementary and GFW Elementary School, on MCA-III assessments in both math and reading.

186

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,748

Per pupil spending ?

50.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

220 3rd St W
Hector, MN 55342-8888

(320) 848-2233

District: Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart

Students who attend Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element usually attend:

High:

Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Seconda

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.9%

Hispanic:

16.1%

Two or more races:

5.9%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 86th percentile in 2015 → 92nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (70% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Minnesota elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg53%

Minnesota avg47%

72^nd of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 14% (2015) to top 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

124^th of 446Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 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
2025	87.0	72 of 872	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	89.5	48 of 881	94.6%	★★★★★
2023	79.0	155 of 845	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	74.7	198 of 858	76.9%	★★★★☆
2021	73.5	210 of 869	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	81.7	116 of 870	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.1	113 of 847	86.7%	★★★★☆
2017	89.8	14 of 853	98.4%	★★★★★
2016	84.7	54 of 848	93.6%	★★★★★
2015	79.2	120 of 840	85.7%	★★★★☆
2014	61.2	371 of 826	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.6	479 of 824	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	82.0	67 of 820	91.8%	★★★★★
2011	80.0	90 of 814	88.9%	★★★★☆
2010	63.1	330 of 803	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.1	504 of 781	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	66.1	256 of 777	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	76.7	123 of 756	83.7%	★★★★☆
2005	69.7	192 of 685	72.0%	★★★★☆
2004	47.5	427 of 676	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2003	56.8	343 of 674	49.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	83.2	97 of 799	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.9	164 of 809	79.7%	★★★★☆
2023	67.3	266 of 787	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	331 of 799	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.5	299 of 783	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	80.7	98 of 787	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.3	124 of 774	84.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	90.6	27 of 764	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	97.5	3 of 793	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.4	21 of 774	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	66.4	185 of 663	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	87.8	38 of 683	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	84.5	45 of 740	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	83.2	53 of 728	92.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	86.3	60 of 812	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	95.8	6 of 826	99.3%	★★★★★
2023	83.1	95 of 799	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	79.0	130 of 808	83.9%	★★★★☆
2021	74.5	165 of 784	79.0%	★★★★☆
2019	79.0	119 of 798	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	80.7	103 of 779	86.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	84.8	63 of 714	91.2%	★★★★★
2024	84.6	55 of 730	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	69.5	178 of 712	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	64.4	235 of 725	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.5	253 of 710	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.5	139 of 722	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.6	136 of 712	80.9%	★★★★☆

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 (2025)96th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)93rd percentile~ school

White (2025)91st percentile~ school

Female (2025)88th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math76%+30 vs state

Reading65%+15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)				MCA-III Reading (2025)				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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element	Public	PK, KG-5	220 3rd St W	Hector	55342	Renville County	Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 848-2233	186	16	11.4	50.5%	143 (76.9%)	2 (1.1%)	30 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.9%)	87	72^nd of 872 public elementary schools	91.7%		89.5	48^th of 881 public elementary schools	94.6%	24	84.0	78.6	65.5	75.6	60.0	65.5	69.0	65.1	$14,748
Bold-Bird Island Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	701 S. 9th St	Olivia	56277	Renville County	Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 523-1031	260	24	10.9	49.6%	209 (80.4%)	1 (0.4%)	46 (17.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	65.4	321^st of 872 public elementary schools	63.2%		66.3	296^th of 881 public elementary schools	66.4%	25	69.2	73.5		70.9	44.2	44.1		44.2	$12,355
Cedar Mountain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	231 4th Ave E	Franklin	55333	Renville County	Cedar Mountain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 557-2251	171	18	9.6	55.0%	127 (74.3%)	1 (0.6%)	14 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.4%)	70.8	260^th of 872 public elementary schools	70.2%		69.5	261^st of 881 public elementary schools	70.4%	1	74.2	81.5	41.7	67.1	41.9	51.9	70.8	53.7	$14,595
GFW Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	323 E 11th St	Gibbon	55335	Sibley County	GFW Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 207-2216	240	17	13.7	53.3%	174 (72.5%)	1 (0.4%)	54 (22.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.2%)	53.6	441^st of 872 public elementary schools	49.4%		48.6	508^th of 881 public elementary schools	42.3%	67	41.7	62.1	50.0	50.5	30.6	55.2	60.5	48.5	$13,422
Hutchinson West Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	875 School Rd	Hutchinson	55350	McLeod County	Hutchinson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 587-4470	431	35	12.1	39.9%	353 (81.9%)	4 (0.9%)	47 (10.9%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.6%)								(n/a)									$12,733
Hutchinson Tiger Elementary	Public	2-3	805 School Road SW	Hutchinson	55350	McLeod County	Hutchinson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 587-1122	375	27	13.6	31.7%	308 (82.1%)	3 (0.8%)	45 (12.0%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)								(n/a)	71.5			71.5	53.1			53.1
Hutchinson Park Elementary	Public	4-5	100 Glen St S	Hutchinson	55350	McLeod County	Hutchinson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 587-2837	371	27	13.6	36.1%	292 (78.7%)	3 (0.8%)	57 (15.4%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.0%)	78.9	157^th of 872 public elementary schools	82.0%		81.5	126^th of 881 public elementary schools	85.7%	31		65.3	64.3	64.8		51.2	74.1	63.0	$10,698

Frequently Asked Questions about Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element

What is the racial makeup of Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element?

Students at Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element are 77% White, 16% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Is Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element a good school?

Yes. Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element ranks in the top 8.3% of Minnesota elementary schools.

How many students attend Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element?

In the 2024-25 school year, 186 students attended Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element.

What schools do graduates of Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element attend?

Students who attend Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element usually go on to attend:

High : Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Seconda

What district is Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Element in?

Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart

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Schools in Hector, MN

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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.