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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary

Q: Is Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary a good school?

Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary ranks 548 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

548^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Heron Lake, Minnesota, with 132 students. The school is part of the Heron Lake-Okabena School District, which is ranked 314 out of 446 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Minnesota elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a ranking between 548-687 out of 845-872 schools. The school's performance on MCA-III tests is below the state average in both math and reading across all grades. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rate in math was 40.3% compared to the state average of 45.21%, and in reading, it was 43.28% compared to the state average of 49.59%. The school's performance is also lower than nearby schools like Riverside Elementary, Virtual Instruction by Excellence E, and Windom Area Elementary, which have higher proficiency rates in both math and reading.

Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 56.06% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024. The school's small student-teacher ratio of 11:1 is comparable to nearby schools, but the Heron Lake-Okabena School District is rated 2 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger, indicating potential resource constraints at the district level. Addressing the school's consistent underperformance and supporting its students from low-income backgrounds will likely require a comprehensive, data-driven approach that focuses on targeted interventions and collaboration with higher-performing nearby schools.

123

Students ?

10.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,646

Per pupil spending ?

50.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

321 Stearns Ave
Heron Lake, MN 56137-4061

(507) 793-2307

District: Heron Lake-Okabena School District

Students who attend Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary usually attend:

High:

Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.7%

Hispanic:

13.0%

American Indian:

2.4%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 29th percentile in 2015 → 37th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (42% vs 47% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg36%

Minnesota avg47%

548^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to bottom 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

314^th of 446Heron Lake-Okabena 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	42.2	548 of 872	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	615 of 881	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.2	682 of 845	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	687 of 858	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.6	616 of 869	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.7	625 of 870	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.7	615 of 847	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.7	634 of 853	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.3	666 of 848	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.9	597 of 840	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.1	630 of 826	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.7	694 of 824	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	23.3	712 of 820	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.5	668 of 814	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	56.0	444 of 803	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.6	266 of 434	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	54.7	425 of 781	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	24.2	680 of 777	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.8	490 of 756	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	49.1	433 of 685	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	49.5	410 of 676	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2003	23.7	578 of 674	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	19.2	678 of 809	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.5	737 of 787	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	34.3	565 of 793	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	601 of 774	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.0	538 of 683	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.3	625 of 740	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	588 of 728	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	37.1	564 of 826	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	12.2	715 of 808	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.3	607 of 784	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.5	285 of 798	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.7	555 of 779	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	31.4	555 of 714	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	581 of 730	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	662 of 712	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	682 of 725	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	42.0	454 of 710	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.4	615 of 722	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	650 of 712	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2024)32nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)29th percentile~ school

White (2025)22nd percentile-15 vs school

Female (2024)16th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading43%-6 vs state

Math40%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Heron Lake-Okabena 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 (2025)	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
Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	321 Stearns Ave	Heron Lake	56137	Jackson County	Heron Lake-Okabena School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 793-2307	123	12	10.5	50.4%	98 (79.7%)	2 (1.6%)	16 (13.0%)	1 (0.8%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	42.2	548^th of 872 public elementary schools	37.2%		35.3	615^th of 881 public elementary schools	30.2%	67	33.3	53.3	42.9	31.3	40.3	26.7	60.0	52.4	31.3	43.3	$12,646
Round Lake-Brewster Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	915 4th Ave	Brewster	56119	Nobles County	Round Lake-Brewster Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 842-5951	377	26	14.2	73.2%	81 (21.5%)	5 (1.3%)	275 (72.9%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	8 (2.1%)	32.8	619^th of 872 public elementary schools	29.0%		17.9	739^th of 881 public elementary schools	16.1%	120	41.3	34.7	20.4		31.9	43.5	42.9	44.9		43.8	$10,027
Windom Area Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1200 17th St	Windom	56101	Cottonwood County	Windom Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 831-6925	493	37	13.2	49.3%	277 (56.2%)	12 (2.4%)	136 (27.6%)	23 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.2%)	29 (5.9%)	52.9	450^th of 872 public elementary schools	48.4%		44.5	549^th of 881 public elementary schools	37.7%	99	61.2	52.6			57.0	39.8	46.4			43.0
Pleasantview Elementary	Public	4-5	703 Mill Road E	Lakefield	56150	Jackson County	Jackson County Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 662-6625	170	11	14.8	39.4%	156 (91.8%)	3 (1.8%)	5 (2.9%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	58.6	387^th of 872 public elementary schools	55.6%		56.2	425^th of 881 public elementary schools	51.8%	38		54.9	47.2		51.1		46.5	56.9		51.8	$13,741
STARSS Online Academy Elementary	Public	K-5	1454 6th Ave N	Windom	56101	Cottonwood County	Region 6 and 8-SW/Wc Service Coop	No	No	No	No	(507) 360-1876	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Fulda Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	303 N Lafayette Ave	Fulda	56131	Murray County	Fulda Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 425-2581	179	16	11.3	54.7%	134 (74.9%)	1 (0.6%)	26 (14.5%)	14 (7.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	70.5	263^rd of 872 public elementary schools	69.8%		59	386^th of 881 public elementary schools	56.2%	123	80.7	82.6	34.5	36.0	58.3	51.6	60.9	65.5	56.0	58.3	$14,392
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	820 Park St	Jackson	56143	Jackson County	Jackson County Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 847-5963	350	27	13.0	40.0%	283 (80.9%)	11 (3.1%)	35 (10.0%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.9%)								(n/a)	60.2				60.2	43.2				43.2	$11,464
Virtual Instruction by Excellence E	Public, Virtual	K-6	825 N Crailsheim Rd	Worthington	56187	Nobles County	Worthington Public School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(507) 372-1322	518	10	49.8	37.5%	454 (87.6%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (7.7%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.5%)	84.8	96^th of 872 public elementary schools	89.0%		76.5	175^th of 881 public elementary schools	80.1%	79	60.0			63.6	58.3	60.0			100.0	77.8
Intermediate School	Public	3-5	671 N Crailsheim Rd	Worthington	56187	Nobles County	Worthington Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(507) 727-1275	705	51	13.9	70.4%	106 (15.0%)	46 (6.5%)	460 (65.2%)	57 (8.1%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.1%)	26 (3.7%)	20.2	712^th of 872 public elementary schools	18.3%		22	714^th of 881 public elementary schools	19.0%	2	39.8	28.3	21.3		29.8	30.1	24.4	41.5		32.1

Frequently Asked Questions about Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary

Is Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary a good school?

Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary ranks 548^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 123 students attended Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary attend?

Students who attend Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary

What is the racial makeup of Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary?

Students at Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary are 80% White, 13% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary in?

Heron Lake-Okabena School District

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Schools in Heron Lake, MN

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

2022–23 graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.