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Parkside Elementary

Q: Is Parkside Elementary a good school?

Parkside Elementary ranks 541 st of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

541^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Parkside Elementary is a PK–5 school serving 348 students at 207 3rd St NE in Buffalo, MN, part of Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools, and it sits in a notably crowded elementary neighborhood — Discovery Elementary is just 0.06 miles away, Tatanka Elementary STEM School is 0.55 miles away, and Northwinds Elementary is 1.09 miles away.

Parkside's results have been sliding. For 2025-2026 it ranked 541 of 869 Minnesota schools — the 38th percentile, or 2 stars — while its own district sits at the 71st percentile. The school's best recent year was 2022-2023 at the 66th percentile, and it has lost 28 percentile points and 253 rank positions since, the steepest drop of any nearby school; seven of nine comparison schools improved over that same stretch. Parkside now trails district averages by 10.3 points in math and 7.8 points in reading, and it ranks second-lowest among ten nearby elementaries, ahead only of Tatanka. Neighbors such as Montrose Elementary School of Innov and Maple Lake Elementary rank at or above the 69th percentile.

Notably, this doesn't look like a story about resources or changing enrollment. Class sizes are the smallest in the district at 12.8 students per teacher, and enrollment, staffing, and the 42.8% free/reduced-lunch rate — the highest among Buffalo's four elementaries — have held steady while scores fell across all three subjects. The sharpest relative decline is in services for students in special education, whose statewide subgroup ranking dropped from the 81st to the 21st percentile in two years. There are real bright spots to build on: science (25.0) is at the state average and ahead of both Discovery and Tatanka, 5th-grade reading (49.1) is the school's strongest subject score, and the small-class setting is an advantage few peers share.

348

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,171

Per pupil spending ?

42.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

207 3rd St NE
Buffalo, MN 55313-1639

(763) 682-8500

District: Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools

Students who attend Parkside Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Buffalo Community Middle
High:	Buffalo Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.2%

Hispanic:

7.5%

Two or more races:

6.0%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Parkside Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2016 → 38th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

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

!Near the bottom of Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg48%

Minnesota avg43%

541^st of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From top 43% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools

133^rd of 458Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools 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	42.7	541 of 869	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.3	527 of 872	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.6	392 of 881	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.6	288 of 845	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.2	370 of 858	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.5	521 of 869	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.1	318 of 870	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.1	215 of 847	74.6%	★★★★☆
2017	63.4	356 of 853	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.1	367 of 848	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.7	439 of 840	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	64.8	324 of 826	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.2	531 of 824	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.8	427 of 820	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.0	424 of 814	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	65.7	304 of 803	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	67.3	247 of 781	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.0	378 of 777	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.7	211 of 756	72.1%	★★★★☆
2005	63.7	253 of 685	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.8	314 of 676	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2003	61.8	278 of 674	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	36.2	541 of 790	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.5	574 of 799	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	60.7	325 of 809	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.9	356 of 787	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.7	375 of 799	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.8	558 of 783	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.3	387 of 787	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.8	242 of 774	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	497 of 764	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.7	498 of 764	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.7	358 of 793	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.5	253 of 774	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.7	274 of 663	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.1	390 of 683	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.1	307 of 740	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.2	102 of 728	86.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	48.4	443 of 807	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.8	418 of 812	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.7	430 of 826	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	69.1	245 of 799	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.5	342 of 808	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.5	376 of 784	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.8	250 of 798	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.5	194 of 779	75.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	26.6	460 of 579	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.8	309 of 562	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	71.5	111 of 572	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.8	64 of 524	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	48.6	259 of 500	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.9	197 of 417	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.4	167 of 515	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	80.4	57 of 463	87.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	20.5	624 of 710	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.7	615 of 714	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.2	477 of 730	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.8	342 of 712	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.1	471 of 725	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.5	587 of 710	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.6	353 of 722	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.6	279 of 712	60.8%	★★★☆☆

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)45th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2026)21st percentile-17 vs school

White (2026)12th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading44%-5 vs state

Math42%-3 vs state

Science25%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Parkside 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
Parkside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	207 3rd St NE	Buffalo	55313	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 682-8500	348	27	12.8	42.8%	286 (82.2%)	7 (2.0%)	26 (7.5%)	6 (1.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.0%)	42.7	541^st of 869 public elementary schools	37.7%		44.3	527^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.6%	14	40.0	42.7	49.1		43.9	25.0	25.0	47.3	45.3	33.3		42.2	$13,171
Discovery Elementary	Public	K-5	301 2nd Ave NE	Buffalo	55313	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	No	(763) 682-8400	257	15	16.6	16.0%	252 (98.1%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	48.6	480^th of 869 public elementary schools	44.8%		51.4	464^th of 872 public elementary schools	46.8%	16	43.9	50.0	50.0		47.9	17.1	17.1	43.9	69.0	30.6		48.7	$12,939
Tatanka Elementary STEM School	Public	K-5	703 8th St NE	Buffalo	55313	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 682-8600	393	26	14.8	35.1%	301 (76.6%)	32 (8.1%)	24 (6.1%)	7 (1.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.9%)	36.5	590^th of 869 public elementary schools	32.1%		42.5	544^th of 872 public elementary schools	37.6%	46	44.4	30.9	51.9		42.5	14.8	14.8	51.4	41.8	22.2		39.8	$10,828
Northwinds Elementary	Public	K-5	1111 7th Ave NW	Buffalo	55313	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	No	(763) 682-8800	419	28	14.8	25.8%	394 (94.0%)	7 (1.7%)	10 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	74.9	208^th of 869 public elementary schools	76.1%		67.3	296^th of 872 public elementary schools	66.1%	88	58.7	54.9	59.0		57.6	35.5	35.5	77.3	70.0	44.3		63.4	$11,493
Maple Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	200 Highway 55 E	Maple Lake	55358	Wright County	Maple Lake Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 963-3024	404	33	12.2	27.2%	384 (95.0%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.2%)	72	240^th of 869 public elementary schools	72.4%		66	314^th of 872 public elementary schools	64.0%	74	42.6	56.9	65.9	64.8	56.7	34.1	34.1	59.0	67.7	52.3	50.9	58.3	$11,302
Montrose Elementary School of Innov	Public	PK, KG-5	100 2nd St S	Montrose	55363	Wright County	Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 682-8345	363	25	14.4	45.7%	307 (84.6%)	14 (3.9%)	29 (8.0%)	9 (2.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	68.9	263^rd of 869 public elementary schools	69.7%		59.6	376^th of 872 public elementary schools	56.9%	113	58.8	46.7	67.3		57.2	34.5	34.5	72.5	56.7	40.0		56.0	$13,186
Monticello Nature Based Education	Public	PK, KG-5	9842 Briarwood Avenue NE	Monticello	55362	Wright County	Monticello Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 272-2801	65	0		23.1%	59 (90.8%)	1 (1.5%)	3 (4.6%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	83.9	105^th of 869 public elementary schools	87.9%		80	148^th of 872 public elementary schools	83.0%	43		43.8	81.8		65.8	50.0	50.0		62.5	77.3		71.1
Little Mountain Elementary	Public	1-5	9350 Fallon Ave NE	Monticello	55362	Wright County	Monticello Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 272-2600	576	42	13.6	32.6%	414 (71.9%)	29 (5.0%)	61 (10.6%)	23 (4.0%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.6%)	67.9	272^nd of 869 public elementary schools	68.7%		66.2	310^th of 872 public elementary schools	64.4%	38	41.9	59.2	71.3		57.6	32.0	32.0	59.7	53.3	54.3		55.8	$12,686
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
Eastview Education Center	Public	PK-K	9375 Fenning Ave NE	Monticello	55362	Wright County	Monticello Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(763) 272-2801	301	43	7.0	38.5%	229 (76.1%)	14 (4.7%)	33 (11.0%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.0%)								(n/a)													$16,426

Frequently Asked Questions about Parkside Elementary

What schools do graduates of Parkside Elementary attend?

Students who attend Parkside Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Buffalo Community Middle
High : Buffalo Senior High

How many students attend Parkside Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 348 students attended Parkside Elementary.

Is Parkside Elementary a good school?

Parkside Elementary ranks 541^st of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Parkside Elementary in?

Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools

What is the racial makeup of Parkside Elementary?

Students at Parkside Elementary are 82% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

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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.