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Lester Prairie Elementary

Q: Is Lester Prairie Elementary a good school?

Lester Prairie Elementary ranks 643 rd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

643^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Lester Prairie Elementary is a PK–6 public school in Lester Prairie, Minnesota, a small town in the western Twin Cities metro area, serving 213 students as part of the Lester Prairie Public School District. The district ranks 322nd of 458 Minnesota districts (30th percentile, 2 stars), while the school itself ranks 643rd of 869 elementary schools (26th percentile, 1 star) in 2025–26. That is the lowest ranking in the past decade for this school: it was in the 53rd–56th percentile in 2015–16 and 2018–19, then slid to the 20s–30s in recent years.

In 2025–26, proficiency was 31.7% in math, 39.2% in reading, and 11.5% in science. Reading is above the district average and the school's relative strength — third-grade reading (45.8%) is close to the state's 46.8%. Math and science are the clear weak spots, both well below state levels (44.9% and 25.5%). Among nearby schools with comparable data, Lester Prairie has the lowest rank: Winsted Elementary is at the 37th percentile, Humphrey Elementary at the 40th, Lakeside Elementary at the 65th, and Laketown Elementary at the 94th. Math trails Laketown by more than 43 points, and science is the lowest of any nearby school reporting it.

Poverty does not fully explain the gap. About 36% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — similar to Winsted and Lakeside, which rank higher, and higher than some schools that also outperform it. The student-teacher ratio of 11.9 is better than most nearby schools, but that advantage has not shown up in results. With only 213 students, grade-level cohorts are small, so scores can swing sharply from year to year; science, for example, moved from 33.3% in 2022–23 to 5.71% in 2024–25. Subgroup results show male students performing better than female and low-income students, who rank in the bottom quarter statewide. Note that Journeys Alternative Program has suppressed scores and only 9 students, and Lincoln Elementary has no test data, so neither is a meaningful comparison.

213

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,504

Per pupil spending ?

36.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

131 Hickory St N
Lester Prairie, MN 55354-8888

(320) 395-2521

District: Lester Prairie Public School District

Students who attend Lester Prairie Elementary usually attend:

High:

Lester Prairie Secondary

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.0%

Hispanic:

25.8%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Lester Prairie Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2016 → 26th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (33% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg30%

Minnesota avg43%

643^rd of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 29 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to bottom 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

322^nd of 458Lester Prairie Public 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	30.0	643 of 869	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.1	571 of 872	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.1	619 of 881	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.8	569 of 845	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.1	435 of 858	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.8	548 of 869	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.2	386 of 870	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.2	394 of 847	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.5	436 of 853	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	60.5	381 of 848	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	53.9	470 of 840	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.8	558 of 826	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.2	559 of 824	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	62.5	358 of 820	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	50.4	504 of 814	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	49.3	531 of 803	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	31.4	360 of 434	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	45.6	531 of 781	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.7	460 of 777	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	59.4	350 of 756	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.6	342 of 685	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	45.4	453 of 676	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2003	54.9	363 of 674	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	625 of 790	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.8	503 of 799	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	554 of 809	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	533 of 787	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.6	487 of 799	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.8	488 of 783	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.2	266 of 787	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.0	240 of 774	69.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	36.1	142 of 209	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.1	128 of 153	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	28.1	594 of 764	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.3	448 of 764	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.5	643 of 793	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	580 of 774	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	595 of 683	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.5	389 of 740	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.6	242 of 728	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	41.6	506 of 807	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.4	577 of 812	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.2	592 of 826	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.1	545 of 799	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.3	353 of 808	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.0	545 of 784	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.8	470 of 798	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.2	503 of 779	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	596 of 710	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.0	510 of 714	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	637 of 730	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	573 of 712	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.0	422 of 725	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.8	537 of 710	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.9	351 of 722	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.2	433 of 712	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2026)37th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2022)32nd percentile-17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading39%-9 vs state

Math32%-13 vs state

Science12%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lester Prairie 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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
Lester Prairie Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	131 Hickory St N	Lester Prairie	55354	McLeod County	Lester Prairie Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 395-2521	213	18	11.9	36.2%	149 (70.0%)	1 (0.5%)	55 (25.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.3%)	30	643^rd of 869 public elementary schools	26.0%		40.1	571^st of 872 public elementary schools	34.5%	72	45.8	35.3	38.5	38.9	39.2	11.5	11.5	33.3	35.3	23.1	33.3	31.7	$9,504
Winsted Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	431 4th St N	Winsted	55395	McLeod County	Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 543-4690	213	15	13.8	39.9%	193 (90.6%)	2 (0.9%)	15 (7.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	41.2	551^st of 869 public elementary schools	36.6%		33.5	616^th of 872 public elementary schools	29.4%	65	31.0	48.6			39.2			57.1	40.5			49.4	$12,107
Lakeside Elementary	Public	3-6	229 Lake Ave	Silver Lake	55336	McLeod County	Glencoe-Silver Lake School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 864-2501	408	27	14.9	40.0%	284 (69.6%)	5 (1.2%)	103 (25.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.4%)	64.5	302^nd of 869 public elementary schools	65.2%		63.7	339^th of 872 public elementary schools	61.1%	37	41.6	47.2	54.2	53.5	49.3	27.8	27.8	60.6	59.6	57.4	61.6	59.7	$10,532
Lincoln Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	1621 16th St E	Glencoe	55336	McLeod County	Glencoe-Silver Lake School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 864-2677	290	24	12.2	42.8%	202 (69.7%)	1 (0.3%)	79 (27.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)								(n/a)													$12,679
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	655 7th St SW	Norwood Young America	55368	Carver County	Central Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(952) 467-7300	413	29	14.2	31.2%	329 (79.7%)	10 (2.4%)	42 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.7%)	77.7	171^st of 869 public elementary schools	80.3%		81.2	135^th of 872 public elementary schools	84.5%	36	54.4	58.7	64.4		58.9	34.5	34.5	67.6	73.0	57.6		66.3	$10,102
Watertown-Mayer Elementary School	Public	K-4	500 Paul Ave	Watertown	55388	Carver County	Watertown-Mayer Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(952) 955-0300	482	31	15.5	30.3%	429 (89.0%)	5 (1.0%)	25 (5.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.1%)	77.3	176^th of 869 public elementary schools	79.7%		82.5	117^th of 872 public elementary schools	86.6%	59	58.8	61.3			60.1			70.1	63.2			66.5	$10,255
Journeys Alternative Program	Public	K-8	720 9th Ave	Howard Lake	55349	Wright County	Meeker And Wright Special Education	No	No	No	No	(320) 543-1122	9	4	2.3	66.7%	6 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (22.2%)								(n/a)
Bayview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	24 S Walnut St	Waconia	55387	Carver County	Waconia Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(952) 442-0630	530	43	12.1	16.0%	462 (87.2%)	4 (0.8%)	37 (7.0%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.0%)	81	136^th of 869 public elementary schools	84.3%		85.9	83^rd of 872 public elementary schools	90.5%	53	52.0	61.5	71.4		62.7	33.3	33.3	78.7	66.7	63.8		68.8	$11,341
Southview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	225 4th St W	Waconia	55387	Carver County	Waconia Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(952) 442-0620	544	36	15.0	13.6%	485 (89.2%)	9 (1.7%)	22 (4.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.6%)	80.9	137^th of 869 public elementary schools	84.2%		82.5	115^th of 872 public elementary schools	86.8%	22	67.5	63.4	67.0		65.8	27.8	27.8	79.0	81.2	50.0		69.6	$11,679
Humphrey Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	803 Elm Ave	Waverly	55390	Wright County	Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 543-4680	243	19	12.7	29.6%	204 (84.0%)	4 (1.6%)	26 (10.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.3%)	44.4	521^st of 869 public elementary schools	40.0%		38.1	584^th of 872 public elementary schools	33.0%	63	36.5	42.0			39.2			50.9	56.0			53.4	$11,301

Frequently Asked Questions about Lester Prairie Elementary

Is Lester Prairie Elementary a good school?

Lester Prairie Elementary ranks 643^rd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Lester Prairie Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lester Prairie Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Lester Prairie Secondary

How many students attend Lester Prairie Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 213 students attended Lester Prairie Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lester Prairie Elementary?

Students at Lester Prairie Elementary are 70% White, 26% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Lester Prairie Elementary in?

Lester Prairie Public School District

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresNewSep 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.