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Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.

Public Grades 8-12

438^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 450 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 3% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. is a small public high school located in Fairmont, Minnesota, serving grades 8-12 with a total enrollment of just 59 students. Unfortunately, this school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing high schools in the state, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger and alarmingly low proficiency rates on standardized tests.

The school's academic performance is significantly behind nearby schools like Blue Earth Area Secondary, Martin County West Senior High, and Fairmont Junior/Senior High School. Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. has struggled with high dropout rates, low graduation rates, and an extremely high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high concentration of students from low-income backgrounds. These challenges may be contributing factors to the school's persistent underperformance.

Despite the school's small size, the data suggests that Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. requires significant and sustained support to improve its academic performance, graduation rates, and overall educational outcomes for its students. Targeted interventions, such as increased funding, professional development for teachers, and specialized programs to address the needs of low-income and at-risk students, may be necessary to turn the school around and provide a better educational experience for the students of Southern Plains Education Coop.

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

83%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1200 North Park Street
Fairmont, MN 56031-8888

(507) 238-1472

District: Southern Plains Education Coop.

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.8%

Hispanic:

29.8%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 29th percentile in 2010 → 3rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (8% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Minnesota average (71% vs 84%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school8%

District avg24%

Minnesota avg47%

438^th of 450

Minnesota public high schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 7 pts since 2018

From bottom 10% (2018) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

439^th of 446Southern Plains Education Coop. 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	5.6	438 of 450	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.1	478 of 480	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.9	443 of 476	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.0	444 of 472	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.5	416 of 428	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.5	444 of 494	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	3.4	471 of 483	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.7	499 of 539	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.9	511 of 545	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	29.5	381 of 540	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	10.9	397 of 450	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	319 of 333	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	359 of 393	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	1.7	395 of 398	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.4	393 of 401	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)4th percentile~ school

White (2023)1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading15%-34 vs state

Math0%-45 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.

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 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.	Public	8-12	1200 North Park Street	Fairmont	56031	Martin County	Southern Plains Education Coop.	No	No	No	No	(507) 238-1472	47	5	10.3	83.0%	30 (63.8%)	1 (2.1%)	14 (29.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.3%)	5.6	438^th of 450 public high schools	2.7%		3.1	478^th of 480 public high schools	0.4%	40			0.0	0.0			15.4	15.4
Fairmont Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	900 Johnson St	Fairmont	56031	Martin County	Fairmont Area School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 238-4411	839	43	19.5	47.0%	601 (71.6%)	9 (1.1%)	193 (23.0%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	26 (3.1%)	52.8	242^nd of 450 public high schools	46.2%		61.6	198^th of 480 public high schools	58.8%	44	36.7	25.8	29.7	30.7	42.2	32.5	45.9	40.4	$13,184
Granada Huntley East Chain High School	Public	9-12	300 Reynolds St	Granada	56039	Martin County	Granada Huntley East Chain	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 447-2211	98	9	11.2	51.0%	92 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	35.8	315^th of 450 public high schools	30.0%		46.6	278^th of 480 public high schools	42.1%	37			21.7	21.7			38.1	38.1	$29,025
Truman Secondary	Public	7-12	401 E 1st St S	Truman	56088	Martin County	Truman Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 776-2111	93	9	10.0	54.8%	82 (88.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.3%)	39.8	297^th of 450 public high schools	34.0%		41.4	305^th of 480 public high schools	36.5%	8	11.1	42.9	27.3	25.6	27.8	42.9	36.4	34.9	$15,751
Martin County West Senior High	Public	9-12	16 W 5th St	Sherburn	56171	Martin County	Martin County West School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 764-4671	187	15	12.1	32.1%	170 (90.9%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.3%)	22.2	369^th of 450 public high schools	18.0%		40.4	312^th of 480 public high schools	35.0%	57			17.1	17.1			27.9	27.9	$16,005
Blue Earth Area Secondary	Public	8-12	1125 N Grove Street	Blue Earth	56013	Faribault County	Blue Earth Area School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 526-3201	378	22	17.5	50.0%	295 (78.0%)	3 (0.8%)	71 (18.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	64.2	170^th of 450 public high schools	62.2%		51.8	247^th of 480 public high schools	48.5%	77		27.3	32.8	30.3		35.7	53.4	45.7	$13,556

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.

What district is Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. in?

Southern Plains Education Coop.

Is Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. a good school?

Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. ranks in the bottom 2.7% of Minnesota high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.?

Students at Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. are 64% White, 30% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.?

In the 2024-25 school year, 47 students attended Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr..

Rate Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.!

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Schools in Fairmont, 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.