Ellsworth Elementary

Ellsworth Elementary is a small PK–6 school in the rural community of Ellsworth, MN, serving 76 students as part of the Ellsworth Public School District, which ranks 148 of 458 Minnesota districts (68th percentile, 3 stars). The school's own statewide rank has swung widely from year to year — from a low of the 27th percentile in 2017–18, up to a strong 71st percentile and 4 stars in 2024–25, and back to the 52nd percentile and 3 stars in 2025–26. Because enrollment is so small, a change of one or two students can move a grade-level percentage by many points, so multi-year patterns matter more than any single year's result.

In 2025–26, Ellsworth's clearest strengths were reading (55.0% proficient, above the state's 48.6%) and science (36.4%, above the state's 25.5% and higher than every nearby school, including Luverne Elementary's 35.7%). Math was the weak point at 42.5%, below the state's 44.9% and well behind Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary (58.5%), Adrian Elementary (69.8%) and Luverne (70.0%). The prior year looked different: math was 60.0% and reading 57.78%, while science was only 18.18%. The drop in overall rank from 2024–25 to 2025–26 tracks the math decline rather than a broad slide across all subjects.

Grade-level detail shows the math weakness is concentrated in 5th grade (18.2%, versus the state's 41.9%), while 5th-grade reading (63.6%) and science (36.4%) were relative strengths. Third-grade math and reading were suppressed by the state and are simply unknown — not a weakness. Ellsworth has the highest free/reduced-lunch rate in its comparison group (46.05%, roughly 9–23 percentage points above nearby schools) yet still posts above-state reading and science results, and it has the lowest student–teacher ratio of the four schools (10.7). Overall, this is a very small school with genuine reading and science strengths and a math concern worth monitoring.