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East Central Elementary

Q: Is East Central Elementary a good school?

East Central Elementary ranks 500 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

500^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

East Central Elementary is a public elementary school in Finlayson, Minnesota, serving 382 students in grades PK-6 as part of the East Central School District.

While East Central Elementary has consistently performed below the state average in both math and reading proficiency, the school has shown some strengths in supporting certain student subgroups. Low-income and special education students have performed relatively well, ranking in the top 25% and top 50% of Minnesota elementary schools, respectively. However, the school has struggled with the performance of White students, ranking in the bottom 25% for this subgroup. The school's high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 45.68% to 56%, may be a contributing factor to its lower academic performance compared to the state average.

Interestingly, nearby schools have shown varying levels of performance. Moose Lake Elementary has performed slightly better than East Central Elementary, while Hinckley Elementary has consistently performed worse. Willow River Elementary has shown a mix of performance, with some years performing better and some years performing worse than East Central Elementary. Despite these differences, East Central Elementary's performance has remained relatively stable over the past several years, with its ranking among Minnesota elementary schools remaining in the 300s to 500s range.

391

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,261

Per pupil spending ?

49.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

61085 State Highway 23
Finlayson, MN 55735-8888

(320) 245-6013

District: East Central School District

Students who attend East Central Elementary usually attend:

High:

East Central Senior Secondary

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.7%

American Indian:

10.0%

Two or more races:

8.2%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 54th percentile in 2022 → 43rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 54th-percentile peak (2022) to 43rd (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg38%

Minnesota avg47%

500^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 28 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

301^st of 446East Central 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
2025	47.4	500 of 872	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.7	437 of 881	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.4	408 of 845	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.9	395 of 858	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.7	557 of 869	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.1	555 of 870	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.3	478 of 847	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.3	536 of 853	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.7	635 of 848	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.6	721 of 840	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	14.7	739 of 826	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.9	682 of 824	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	25.4	705 of 820	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	33.3	653 of 814	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.2	658 of 803	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.6	679 of 781	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	35.8	630 of 777	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	35.2	615 of 756	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	39.0	510 of 685	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	27.8	563 of 676	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	26.2	566 of 674	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	42.6	505 of 799	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.3	415 of 809	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.8	359 of 787	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.1	354 of 799	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.6	467 of 783	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.7	461 of 787	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.0	462 of 774	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	68.5	176 of 764	77.0%	★★★★☆
2024	64.7	253 of 793	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.6	251 of 774	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.1	219 of 663	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.1	455 of 683	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.1	364 of 740	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	349 of 728	52.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	463 of 812	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.8	429 of 826	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.8	422 of 799	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.1	435 of 808	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.4	555 of 784	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.0	587 of 798	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	50.7	453 of 779	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	318 of 562	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.2	267 of 572	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.1	414 of 524	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	392 of 515	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	27.9	584 of 714	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.7	523 of 730	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.2	521 of 712	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.1	485 of 725	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.6	612 of 710	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	602 of 722	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.4	552 of 712	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)77th percentile+34 vs school

Special Education (2025)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)43rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)37th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)18th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math45%~ state avg

Reading45%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near East Central 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 (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	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
East Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	61085 State Highway 23	Finlayson	55735	Pine County	East Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 245-6013	391	28	14.0	49.4%	296 (75.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.1%)	4 (1.0%)	39 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.2%)	47.4	500^th of 872 public elementary schools	42.7%		54.7	437^th of 881 public elementary schools	50.4%	63	55.1	51.1	39.7	37.0	45.5	40.0	33.3	60.3	41.3	44.7	$12,261
East Central Early Childhood	Public	PK-K	61085 State Highway 23	Finlayson	55735	Pine County	East Central School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 245-6013	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Finlayson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2159 Hwy 18	Finlayson	55735	Pine County	Hinckley-Finlayson School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 233-7611	58	6	10.1	51.7%	47 (81.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.2%)	2 (3.4%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (8.6%)								(n/a)				30.0	50.0				50.0	48.4	$12,831
Willow River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	8142 Pine St	Willow River	55795	Pine County	Willow River Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 372-3131	231	20	11.5	44.2%	207 (89.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	53.5	442^nd of 872 public elementary schools	49.3%		54	441^st of 881 public elementary schools	49.9%	1	64.0	38.2	46.9	39.5	45.7	48.0	26.5	62.5	57.9	48.8	$12,165
Hinckley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	111 Blair Ave S	Hinckley	55037	Pine County	Hinckley-Finlayson School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 384-6443	395	34	11.4	63.3%	249 (63.0%)	5 (1.3%)	23 (5.8%)	5 (1.3%)	53 (13.4%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (15.2%)	34	605^th of 872 public elementary schools	30.6%		25.6	684^th of 881 public elementary schools	22.4%	79	62.8	60.0	18.8	20.0	38.2	39.5	41.7	36.5	28.6	36.5	$10,344
Moose Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4812 County Rd 10	Moose Lake	55767	Carlton County	Moose Lake Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 485-4834	285	24	12.0	39.3%	252 (88.4%)	5 (1.8%)	8 (2.8%)	3 (1.1%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.2%)	47.3	502^nd of 872 public elementary schools	42.4%		54	442^nd of 881 public elementary schools	49.8%	60	48.9	47.8	31.0	33.3	40.9	35.4	37.0	69.1	61.1	49.4	$11,820

Frequently Asked Questions about East Central Elementary

Is East Central Elementary a good school?

East Central Elementary ranks 500^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of East Central Elementary?

Students at East Central Elementary are 76% White, 10% American Indian, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What district is East Central Elementary in?

East Central School District

What schools do graduates of East Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend East Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : East Central Senior Secondary

How many students attend East Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 391 students attended East Central Elementary.

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Schools in Finlayson, MN

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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.