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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Nerstrand Charter School

Q: Is Nerstrand Charter School a good school?

Nerstrand Charter School ranks 302 nd of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Nerstrand Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 102 students attended Nerstrand Charter School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Nerstrand Charter School?

Students at Nerstrand Charter School are 86% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American, 3% Hispanic, 2% American Indian.

Public, Charter Grades K-5

302^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 65% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Nerstrand Charter School is a public charter elementary school serving 98 students in grades K-5 in the small town of Nerstrand, Minnesota. The school consistently outperforms the state average on standardized assessments, with 57.45% of students proficient or better in math and 55.32% in reading, compared to the state averages of 45.21% and 49.59% respectively.

Nerstrand Charter School has shown strong student growth, improving its ranking among Minnesota elementary schools from 575 out of 870 in 2018-2019 to 302 out of 872 in 2024-2025. However, the school faces some challenges, as it underperforms compared to the nearby Greenvale Park Elementary, Spring Creek Elementary, and Bridgewater Elementary, which are part of the Northfield Public School District and have proficiency rates in the 60-70% range.

The increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Nerstrand Charter School, from 9.92% in 2021-2022 to 28.57% in 2023-2024, suggests the school is serving a more economically diverse population. This may contribute to the school's lower performance compared to the higher-income Northfield Public Schools, as research has shown that socioeconomic status can be a significant factor in academic achievement. Despite these challenges, Nerstrand Charter School remains a high-performing school that is committed to supporting the academic growth of all its students.

102

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,869

Per pupil spending ?

23.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

205 S 2nd St
Nerstrand, MN 55053-4404

(507) 333-6850

District: Nerstrand Charter School

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.3%

Two or more races:

4.9%

African American:

3.9%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Nerstrand Charter School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2015 → 65th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (56% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Minnesota median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg56%

Minnesota avg47%

302^nd of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 35%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to top 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

127^th of 446Nerstrand Charter School 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	66.8	302 of 872	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.7	258 of 881	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	53.8	432 of 845	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.6	512 of 858	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	71.9	231 of 869	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	44.6	575 of 870	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.7	537 of 847	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.0	552 of 853	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	68.8	273 of 848	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.4	445 of 840	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	65.5	313 of 826	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.9	253 of 824	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	70.3	226 of 820	72.4%	★★★★☆
2011	57.0	426 of 814	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.8	449 of 803	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	56.7	404 of 781	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	65.3	266 of 777	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	57.0	384 of 756	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	66.5	218 of 685	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.1	333 of 676	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2003	66.7	220 of 674	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	63.5	313 of 799	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.1	511 of 787	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.8	442 of 774	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	1.7	739 of 740	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	64.7	238 of 728	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	68.4	257 of 812	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	8.0	742 of 808	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	43.7	519 of 784	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.4	567 of 798	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.3	551 of 779	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	45.6	416 of 714	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.2	324 of 730	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.8	561 of 712	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.0	594 of 725	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	55.6	298 of 710	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.6	495 of 722	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.0	601 of 712	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)68th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2022)61st percentile+20 vs school

White (2025)42nd percentile-24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2019)<1st percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math57%+12 vs state

Reading55%+6 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, May 14, 2019

My daughters both went to this school. It is such a special place. Small, but with high academic expectations. Wonderful progressive school! Close Quote

Schools Near Nerstrand Charter School

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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 (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 (2025)	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 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Nerstrand Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	205 S 2nd St	Nerstrand	55053	Rice County	Nerstrand Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(507) 333-6850	102	8	13.6	23.5%	88 (86.3%)	4 (3.9%)	3 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.9%)	66.8	302^nd of 872 public elementary schools	65.4%		69.7	258^th of 881 public elementary schools	70.7%	44	63.6	54.6	50.0		57.5	50.0	54.6	64.3		55.3	$12,869
Spring Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Maple St	Northfield	55057	Rice County	Northfield Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 645-3470	445	37	11.8	29.2%	346 (77.8%)	12 (2.7%)	56 (12.6%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.8%)	81.2	134^th of 872 public elementary schools	84.6%		83	112^th of 881 public elementary schools	87.3%	22	69.2	84.6	57.3		69.0	57.7	66.2	64.8		62.8	$13,516
Bridgewater Elementary	Public	K-5	401 Jefferson Pkwy	Northfield	55057	Rice County	Northfield Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 664-3300	564	40	14.0	25.7%	435 (77.1%)	13 (2.3%)	77 (13.7%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.9%)	83.2	109^th of 872 public elementary schools	87.5%		76.4	179^th of 881 public elementary schools	79.7%	70	78.0	78.5	52.0		69.6	62.6	62.3	68.0		64.3	$12,586
Roosevelt Early Learning Center	Public	PK-K	925 Parshall St	Faribault	55021	Rice County	Faribault Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 333-6700	473	34	13.8	72.9%	145 (30.7%)	89 (18.8%)	211 (44.6%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.1%)	26.1	682^nd of 872 public elementary schools	21.8%		34.7	623^rd of 881 public elementary schools	29.3%	59	21.8	28.0	17.7		22.1	29.5	34.0	66.1		42.6	$16,544
Big 9 Online Elementary	Public	K-5	201 Orchard St S	Northfield	55057	Rice County	Northfield Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 645-1201	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Greenvale Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 Lincoln Pkwy	Northfield	55057	Rice County	Northfield Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 645-3500	488	41	11.7	33.4%	303 (62.1%)	18 (3.7%)	123 (25.2%)	9 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.0%)	75	209^th of 872 public elementary schools	76.0%		76.5	174^th of 881 public elementary schools	80.2%	35	65.0	57.3	64.4		62.3	57.5	48.8	76.7		61.5	$16,548
Surad Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	128 8th Ave NW	Faribault	55021	Rice County	Surad Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(507) 805-2335	77	9	8.3	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	77 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.9	693^rd of 872 public elementary schools	20.5%					(n/a)	54.6		18.2		30.6	18.2		36.4		27.8
Lincoln Elementary	Public	1-5	510 Lincoln Ave NW	Faribault	55021	Rice County	Faribault Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 333-6600	391	32	12.1	75.2%	122 (31.2%)	81 (20.7%)	146 (37.3%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.2%)	10.5	791^st of 872 public elementary schools	9.3%		31	647^th of 881 public elementary schools	26.6%	144	20.0	16.7	13.3		16.7	25.0	18.2	36.7		26.9	$15,689
Jefferson Elementary	Public	1-5	922 SW Home Place	Faribault	55021	Rice County	Faribault Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 333-6500	389	31	12.7	82.5%	75 (19.3%)	148 (38.0%)	134 (34.4%)	8 (2.1%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.4%)	8.8	802^nd of 872 public elementary schools	8.0%		13.5	769^th of 881 public elementary schools	12.7%	33	14.6	22.0	8.5		14.6	14.6	20.0	37.3		24.4	$15,329
Randolph Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	29101 Dawson Ave	Randolph	55065	Dakota County	Randolph Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 263-2151	445	33	13.5	17.8%	429 (96.4%)	4 (0.9%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	50.1	474^th of 872 public elementary schools	45.6%		45	544^th of 881 public elementary schools	38.3%	70	63.0	59.7	24.6	37.3	45.5	50.0	43.8	36.7	53.0	45.9	$10,241

Frequently Asked Questions about Nerstrand Charter School

How many students attend Nerstrand Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 102 students attended Nerstrand Charter School.

What is the racial makeup of Nerstrand Charter School?

Students at Nerstrand Charter School are 86% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American, 3% Hispanic, 2% American Indian.

What district is Nerstrand Charter School in?

Nerstrand Charter School

Is Nerstrand Charter School a good school?

Nerstrand Charter School ranks 302^nd of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Nerstrand Charter School!

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

2022–23 graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.