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Benson Secondary

Q: Is Benson Secondary a good school?

Benson Secondary ranks 341 st of 473 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-12

341^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 473 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 28% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

Benson Secondary in rural Benson, MN, is a public school serving grades 6–12 with 334 students, part of the Benson Public School District. It is currently ranked 341st of 473 Minnesota schools (28th percentile, 1 star), down from 288th of 450 (36th percentile, 2 stars) the prior year; the district ranks 309th of 458 (33rd percentile, 2 stars). The school once ranked 145th of 494 (71st percentile, 4 stars) in 2017–2018. In 2024–2025, 38.02% of students were eligible for free/reduced lunch, down from 45.33% in 2022–2023, and the student-teacher ratio improved from 16.8 to 12.6.

Academically, proficiency is below district and state averages in most subjects. In 2025–2026 all-grades results, math was 26.6% (district 36.5%, state 44.9%), reading was 35.9% (district 40.3%, state 48.6%), and science was 13.0%—equal to the district but half the state’s 25.5%. Science is weakest: End-of-Course science was 15.8% versus 35% statewide. High school math is also low: 11th-grade math was 16.2% versus 35.3% statewide. Reading is comparatively stronger but still behind. Completion is strong: the 2024–2025 graduation rate was 97.5% (district 98.0%, state 84.9%) and the dropout rate was 0.0%, compared with state rates around 4.2%–4.5%.

Compared with nearby Kerkhoven Secondary (382 students), Benson has a higher graduation rate (97.5% vs. 93.3%), lower dropout (0.0% vs. 1.6%), and slightly higher reading, but trails in math (26.6% vs. 33.1%) and science (13.0% vs. 17.1%); Kerkhoven ranks 267th of 473 (44th percentile, 2 stars) versus Benson’s 28th percentile. Hancock Sec. (204 students) ranks 8th of 473 (98th percentile, 5 stars) and far exceeds Benson and the state in math (73.5%), reading (68.3%), and science (59.2%). Same-district alternatives Heartland Girls Ranch (22 students) and Benson Area Learning Center (13 students) are small specialized settings with mostly suppressed data and are not normal comparisons. Class size is not an obvious bottleneck: Benson’s ratio of 12.6 is better than Kerkhoven’s 16.8 and matches Hancock’s 12.6, yet proficiency remains far below Hancock’s. Overall, Benson shows strong completion outcomes and an improving student-teacher ratio, but persistent below-average proficiency, weak science and high school math, and a recent drop to a 1-star rating.

334

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,814

Per pupil spending ?

38.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

1400 Montana Ave
Benson, MN 56215-1246

(320) 843-2710

District: Benson Public School District

Feeder schools for Benson Secondary:

Elementary:

Northside Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.4%

Hispanic:

11.1%

African American:

2.7%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare Benson Secondary to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 39th percentile in 2016 → 28th in 2026

Strengths

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Minnesota average (85%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (28% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg34%

Minnesota avg43%

Middle school

359^th of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 26 pts since 2016

From top 39% (2016) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

341^st of 473

Minnesota public high schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 39% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

309^th of 458Benson 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	36.4	359 of 546	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	295 of 519	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.3	357 of 545	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.2	369 of 529	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.7	297 of 520	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.6	368 of 521	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	400 of 533	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	62.6	193 of 518	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	40.1	340 of 523	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	60.2	200 of 508	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.1	230 of 516	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	36.1	346 of 490	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	43.4	307 of 488	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.5	200 of 469	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	51.5	254 of 478	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.1	228 of 454	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.6	160 of 409	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.3	179 of 403	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	66.1	137 of 406	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	75.8	89 of 396	77.5%	★★★★☆
2004	49.6	245 of 387	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	48.2	237 of 467	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.7	215 of 450	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.7	315 of 474	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.3	303 of 455	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.2	221 of 467	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.6	346 of 443	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	377 of 439	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	54.7	217 of 436	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	33.2	339 of 458	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	54.0	184 of 432	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.2	356 of 473	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.6	248 of 459	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	209 of 404	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.1	254 of 399	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	281 of 415	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	67.7	100 of 401	75.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	24.8	381 of 483	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.2	312 of 452	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.1	338 of 479	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	348 of 464	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.8	311 of 476	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.2	292 of 437	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.7	305 of 454	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.8	143 of 438	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	266 of 296	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.3	115 of 307	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	18.5	257 of 288	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.5	192 of 260	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	22.7	370 of 435	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.8	339 of 415	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	378 of 440	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	380 of 436	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.5	320 of 438	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	379 of 422	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.7	389 of 428	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	52.7	205 of 428	52.1%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	341 of 473	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.9	288 of 450	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.8	325 of 480	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.4	274 of 476	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	326 of 472	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.8	314 of 428	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	62.2	204 of 492	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.7	145 of 494	70.6%	★★★★☆
2017	62.3	209 of 489	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.6	297 of 489	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	66.5	180 of 504	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.3	208 of 483	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.9	212 of 534	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.2	198 of 539	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.3	155 of 545	71.6%	★★★★☆
2010	73.7	124 of 540	77.0%	★★★★☆
2008	66.6	189 of 460	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	40.3	336 of 463	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	56.6	249 of 450	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	60.9	269 of 452	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	62.5	246 of 433	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	302 of 398	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.2	228 of 358	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.7	251 of 403	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.2	201 of 396	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.2	259 of 388	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.9	302 of 339	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	60.4	169 of 401	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.4	120 of 395	69.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	34.4	234 of 333	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.7	258 of 389	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.8	320 of 393	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.3	207 of 312	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.2	169 of 270	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.4	206 of 370	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.8	151 of 374	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	23.3	326 of 395	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.8	286 of 377	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	322 of 405	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.8	300 of 398	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	313 of 403	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.6	226 of 351	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.4	250 of 411	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.5	211 of 398	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	22.2	330 of 394	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.8	319 of 376	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	343 of 402	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.1	315 of 398	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.6	348 of 401	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.1	308 of 364	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.1	234 of 412	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.3	174 of 414	58.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Middle school

Female (2026)49th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)26th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)21st percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2026)10th percentile-24 vs school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)24th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading36%-13 vs state

Math27%-18 vs state

Science13%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Benson Secondary

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
Benson Secondary	Public	6-12	1400 Montana Ave	Benson	56215	Swift County	Benson Public School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 843-2710	334	26	12.6	38.0%	272 (81.4%)	9 (2.7%)	37 (11.1%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.7%)	30.1	341^st of 473 public high schools	27.9%		41.9	288^th of 450 public high schools	36.0%	53	38.3	33.3	35.2	35.9	35.9	11.1	15.8	13.0	18.0	33.3	38.2	16.2	26.6	$15,814
Benson Area Learning Center	Public	7-12	1400 Montana Ave	Benson	56215	Swift County	Benson Public School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 843-2710	13	1	25.4	53.8%	6 (46.2%)	1 (7.7%)	4 (30.8%)	1 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)								(n/a)														$6,343
Heartland Girls Ranch	Public	7-12	1400 Montana Ave	Benson	56215	Swift County	Benson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 843-2710	22	3	7.7	86.4%	14 (63.6%)	3 (13.6%)	1 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (13.6%)								(n/a)					0.0			0.0						$18,821
Hancock Sec.	Public	7-12	371 Hancock Ave	Hancock	56244	Stevens County	Hancock Public School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 392-5621	204	16	12.6	22.1%	179 (87.7%)	1 (0.5%)	18 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.9%)	97.6	8^th of 473 public high schools	98.3%		93.7	12^th of 450 public high schools	97.3%	4		69.7	71.1	63.6	68.3	50.0	69.7	59.2		75.8	73.7	71.0	73.5	$12,810
KMS Learning Center	Public	7-12	302 N 15th St	Kerkhoven	56252	Swift County	Region 6 and 8-SW/Wc Service Coop	No	No	No	No	(320) 264-1412	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Kerkhoven Secondary	Public	7-12	302 N 15th St	Kerkhoven	56252	Swift County	Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg	No	No	No	No	(320) 264-1412	382	23	16.8	33.2%	296 (77.5%)	6 (1.6%)	67 (17.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	9 (2.4%)	47.4	267^th of 473 public high schools	43.6%		41.8	289^th of 450 public high schools	35.8%	22		42.9	29.3	33.3	34.8	7.0	27.8	17.1		47.9	20.7	33.3	33.1	$13,466

Frequently Asked Questions about Benson Secondary

How many students attend Benson Secondary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 334 students attended Benson Secondary.

Is Benson Secondary a good school?

Benson Secondary ranks 341^st of 473 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Benson Secondary in?

Benson Public School District

What schools feed into Benson Secondary?

Benson Secondary is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Northside Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Benson Secondary?

Students at Benson Secondary are 81% White, 11% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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MNMinnesota High School Rankings

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Schools in Benson, MN

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

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