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Nisswa Elementary

Q: Is Nisswa Elementary a good school?

Nisswa Elementary ranks 182 nd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

182^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Nisswa Elementary is a PK–5 school in the lakes area of Nisswa, Minnesota, serving 249 students as part of the Brainerd Public School District. It sits roughly 11 to 13 miles from the other Brainerd elementary schools, but only 5.6 miles from Eagle View Elementary in the neighboring Pequot Lakes Public Schools district.

For 2025–2026, Nisswa ranks 182nd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools — the 79th percentile, 4 stars — and it has held 4 stars every year since 2020–21. The striking thing is how much higher it sits than its own district: the Brainerd Public School District ranks 249th of 458 statewide (46th percentile, 2 stars). In 2025–2026, Nisswa's students scored 68.4% in math versus 46.4% district-wide and 44.9% statewide, 58.5% in reading versus 52.0% and 48.6%, and 31.8% in science versus 26.2% and 25.5%. Math is the standout, about 22 points above the district. Among nearby schools, Nisswa is essentially tied with Eagle View Elementary (math 68.3, reading 58.7) and just behind Lowell Elementary (71.7 math, 62.3 reading) — even though Eagle View's district is rated 5 stars and Nisswa's is rated 2.

Nisswa's signature result is with its low-income students: that group ranks at the 95th percentile with 5 stars, three years running, well above the school's overall 79th percentile. About 27.31% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch (2024–2025), the lowest among Brainerd elementaries in this comparison — including Baxter Elementary (31.82%), Lowell Elementary (39.72%) and Riverside Elementary (57.49%) — and that rate has been falling. Two things worth watching: all-grade math has slipped from 74.53% to 68.4% over three years, a larger dip than at district or state level, and science is the school's smallest margin. Nisswa also serves grade 5, unlike most Brainerd elementaries, so its 5th-grade science results rest on a single grade.

249

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,324

Per pupil spending ?

27.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

70.6%

Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 7.8% (MMR)

5533 Lakers Lane
Nisswa, MN 56468-8888

(218) 961-6860

District: Brainerd Public School District

Students who attend Nisswa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Forestview Middle
High:	Brainerd Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.6%

Two or more races:

3.6%

Hispanic:

1.6%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Nisswa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 79th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (61% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of Minnesota elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg45%

Minnesota avg43%

182^nd of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From top 7% (2016) to top 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Elementary Schools in the Brainerd Public School District

249^th of 458Brainerd 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	76.9	182 of 869	79.1%	★★★★☆
2025	75.4	203 of 872	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	79.7	147 of 881	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	74.2	215 of 845	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	80.7	128 of 858	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	73.8	207 of 869	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	314 of 870	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.9	310 of 847	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	77.7	155 of 853	81.8%	★★★★☆
2016	84.1	62 of 848	92.7%	★★★★★
2015	81.6	93 of 840	88.9%	★★★★☆
2014	86.1	41 of 826	95.0%	★★★★★
2013	82.0	88 of 824	89.3%	★★★★☆
2012	65.0	321 of 820	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	70.7	219 of 814	73.1%	★★★★☆
2010	64.6	320 of 803	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.5	133 of 434	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	87.5	23 of 781	97.1%	★★★★★
2007	82.0	64 of 777	91.8%	★★★★★
2006	79.0	93 of 756	87.7%	★★★★☆
2005	75.0	124 of 685	81.9%	★★★★☆
2004	84.4	45 of 676	93.3%	★★★★★
2003	74.9	130 of 674	80.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	79.4	124 of 790	84.3%	★★★★☆
2025	74.5	182 of 799	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.6	147 of 809	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	74.0	193 of 787	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.7	112 of 799	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	65.3	281 of 783	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.5	320 of 787	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.6	258 of 774	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	88.1	38 of 764	95.0%	★★★★★
2025	83.2	71 of 764	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	87.0	47 of 793	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	74.0	146 of 774	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	89.2	31 of 683	95.5%	★★★★★
2019	75.0	127 of 740	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	67.0	212 of 728	70.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	67.4	246 of 807	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	72.3	220 of 812	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	152 of 826	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	227 of 799	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	77.8	140 of 808	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.5	155 of 784	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.5	299 of 798	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.1	342 of 779	56.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	56.3	312 of 710	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.5	328 of 714	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.8	211 of 730	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	57.5	302 of 712	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.4	224 of 725	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.5	283 of 710	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.5	471 of 722	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.3	467 of 712	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2026)95th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)84th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)70th percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math68%+24 vs state

Reading58%+10 vs state

Science32%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nisswa 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)							MCA-IV Science (2026)			MCA-III Math (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		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 3rd Grade	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th 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 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Nisswa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5533 Lakers Lane	Nisswa	56468	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 961-6860	249	18	13.8	27.3%	233 (93.6%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.6%)	76.9	182^nd of 869 public elementary schools	79.1%		75.4	203^rd of 872 public elementary schools	76.7%	21	61.4	53.6	63.6				58.5	31.8		31.8	64.3	74.1	63.6				68.4	70.6%	7.8%	$12,324
Eagle View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	6539 County Rd 11	Breezy Point	56472	Crow Wing County	Pequot Lakes Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 562-6100	557	44	12.5	36.6%	530 (95.2%)	2 (0.4%)	13 (2.3%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	77.2	177^th of 869 public elementary schools	79.6%		80.2	147^th of 872 public elementary schools	83.1%	30	62.6	55.0					58.7				72.0	64.9					68.3	55.5%	10%	$10,458
Discovery Woods	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	604 N 7th St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Discovery Woods	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 828-8200	101	11	8.9	64.4%	77 (76.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (17.8%)	10.3	797^th of 869 public elementary schools	8.3%		29	658^th of 872 public elementary schools	24.5%	139		30.0					30.3				20.0	20.0					11.8			$9,692
Garfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1120 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6450	250	21	12.1	52.4%	203 (81.2%)	2 (0.8%)	8 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (10.0%)	33.3	618^th of 869 public elementary schools	28.9%		26.9	674^th of 872 public elementary schools	22.7%	56	45.5	29.7					37.0				60.0	20.3					38.7	69.4%	0%	$12,674
Lowell Elementary	Public	K-4	704 3rd Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6550	355	26	13.9	39.7%	314 (88.5%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.4%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.5%)	82.4	122^nd of 869 public elementary schools	86.0%		84.4	100^th of 872 public elementary schools	88.5%	22	62.1	62.5					62.3				69.2	73.8					71.7	83%	5.7%	$11,809
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	220 3rd St NW	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6800	407	40	10.2	57.5%	344 (84.5%)	4 (1.0%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (8.1%)	36.6	589^th of 869 public elementary schools	32.2%		44.4	525^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.8%	64	36.8	45.2					41.4				45.6	39.6					42.3	82.7%	6.7%	$15,397
Harrison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1515 Oak St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6500	230	19	12.1	59.1%	200 (87.0%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	17 (7.4%)	48.3	486^th of 869 public elementary schools	44.1%		45.3	518^th of 872 public elementary schools	40.6%	32	49.0	37.8					43.8				60.8	42.2					52.1	69%	11.9%	$14,382
Baxter Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	12191 Jasperwood Drive	Baxter	56425	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6400	506	34	14.9	31.8%	462 (91.3%)	9 (1.8%)	11 (2.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.8%)	75.4	198^th of 869 public elementary schools	77.2%		68.8	282^nd of 872 public elementary schools	67.7%	84	59.1	64.9					62.0				70.0	55.9					62.9	82.9%	4.9%	$11,504
Crosslake Community Seat Based	Public, Charter	K-8	35808 County Rd 66	Crosslake	56442	Crow Wing County	Crosslake Community Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 692-5437	150	18	8.3	36.7%	130 (86.7%)	5 (3.3%)	10 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.3%)	45.6	510^th of 869 public elementary schools	41.3%		39.3	578^th of 872 public elementary schools	33.7%	68	54.5	31.3	61.5	50.0			51.5	23.1		26.3	54.5	50.0	15.4	28.6			40.9			$12,610
Crosslake Community K-5 Online	Public, Virtual, Charter	K-5	35808 County Road 66	Crosslake	56442	Crow Wing County	Crosslake Community Charter School	Yes	No	Yes	No	(218) 537-3623	33	2	16.1	63.6%	28 (84.8%)	1 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)								(n/a)							9.1										7.7

Frequently Asked Questions about Nisswa Elementary

Is Nisswa Elementary a good school?

Nisswa Elementary ranks 182^nd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Nisswa Elementary in?

Brainerd Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Nisswa Elementary?

Students at Nisswa Elementary are 94% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Nisswa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nisswa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Forestview Middle
High : Brainerd Senior High

How many students attend Nisswa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 249 students attended Nisswa Elementary.

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.