Blue Earth Area Middle

Blue Earth Area Middle is a 6th–7th grade school in Blue Earth, MN, serving 163 students as part of the Blue Earth Area School District. The district ranks 220th of 458 in Minnesota (52nd percentile, 3 stars), placing it above average statewide, while the school itself ranked 379th of 546 middle schools in 2025–2026 (31st percentile, 2 stars). The school's ranking history shows a climb from very low levels in the mid-2010s — 20th percentile in 2015–2016 — up to 44th percentile in 2021–2022, but it has since settled in the low-to-mid 30s, ending at 31st percentile in 2025–2026. About half of students (50.3%) qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025, and the student–teacher ratio was 11.4. The only nearby comparison in the data is Granada Huntley East Chain Middle S, 13 miles away in Granada, serving grades 6–8 with 81 students. Its district, Granada Huntley East Chain, ranks lower overall (19th percentile, 1 star), yet Granada's school rank was slightly higher in 2025–2026 (37th vs. 31st percentile). Same-grade results are mixed: 6th grade math is essentially tied (22.1% vs. 22.2%) and 7th grade math favors Blue Earth slightly (25.9% vs. 23.8%), but 6th grade reading is a major gap (Blue Earth 38.2% vs. Granada 55.6%). Reading results at both schools have swung widely from year to year. Math is Blue Earth's most persistent academic weakness, hovering between about 20% and 24% over four years — 24.1% in 2025–2026 versus 44.9% statewide — and the school also trails its own district in both math and reading. Reading dropped from 44.59% to 36.9% in the most recent year. Among student groups, male students improved to the 52nd percentile in 2025–2026, while female students fell to the 13th and low-income students dropped from the 58th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 20th; special education students rank in the 5th–7th percentile. The low student–teacher ratio and strong district context are potential assets for addressing these gaps.