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Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar

Q: Is Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar a good school?

Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar ranks 599 th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Virtual Grades K-5

599^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar in Houston, MN, is a K–5 virtual elementary school serving 392 students in the Houston Public School District, making it the largest elementary school in its immediate comparison area.

Its state ranking has bounced around: it moved from 1 star in 2022–23 and 2023–24 to 2 stars in 2024–25 and 2025–26, but its percentile slipped from 44th to 31st in the latest year (599th of 869 schools). For comparison, its same-district neighbor Houston Elementary — only 0.28 miles away — ranks in the 74th percentile with 4 stars, and Caledonia Elementary, Spring Grove Elementary, and La Crescent-Hokah Elementary all rank in the 85th percentile with 4 stars. In 2025–26 all-grade MCA testing, the school scored 26.7% in math, 37.8% in reading, and 37.5% in science. Math and reading were below both district and state averages, while science was above both and ahead of most nearby schools. Math is the clearest weakness, and grade-level reading is uneven — 3rd grade was 15.4% while 5th grade was 62.5%.

Two context points matter. First, the school reports 64.29% free/reduced lunch (down from 76.06%) and an 18.8 student-teacher ratio, the highest in the nearby set, where others range from 9.6 to 14.7. Houston Elementary's ratio is 11.3. Second, similar-poverty nearby schools such as Washington-Kosciusko Elementary and Riverway Learning Community Charter post higher math and reading results, so demographics and staffing don't tell the whole story. On subgroups, effectiveness for male students improved steadily to the 66th percentile (3 stars) in 2025–26, while low-income students have hovered around the middle. Because this is a virtual academy drawing from a wider area, comparisons with brick-and-mortar schools are useful but not perfectly like-for-like.

392

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

64.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

306 W Elm St
Houston, MN 55943-0363

(507) 792-8787

District: Houston Public School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.2%

African American:

20.4%

Two or more races:

13.5%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2023 → 31st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (33% vs 43% meeting standards)

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

!Math scores 18 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg37%

Minnesota avg43%

599^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▲ up 5 pts since 2023

From bottom 26% (2023) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

277^th of 458Houston 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	35.7	599 of 869	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.3	490 of 872	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	637 of 881	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	627 of 845	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	29.2	228 of 310	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	27.9	617 of 809	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.2	540 of 787	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	44.7	468 of 793	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.8	450 of 774	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	64.2	277 of 807	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.5	421 of 812	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.1	587 of 826	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.5	638 of 799	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	18.4	665 of 730	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	683 of 712	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)66th percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)41st percentile+13 vs school

African American (2024)26th percentile~ school

Female (2024)24th percentile-4 vs school

White (2024)9th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading38%-11 vs state

Science38%+12 vs state

Math27%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar

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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 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar	Public, Virtual	K-5	306 W Elm St	Houston	55943	Houston County	Houston Public School District	No	No	Yes	No	(507) 792-8787	392	21	18.8	64.3%	189 (48.2%)	80 (20.4%)	50 (12.8%)	8 (2.0%)	12 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (13.5%)	35.7	599^th of 869 public elementary schools	31.1%		48.3	490^th of 872 public elementary schools	43.8%	109	15.4	31.3	62.5		37.8	37.5	37.5	23.1	25.0	31.3		26.7
Houston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	310 S Sherman	Houston	55943	Houston County	Houston Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 896-5323	247	22	11.3	40.1%	232 (93.9%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.5%)	72.8	229^th of 869 public elementary schools	73.6%		76.2	192^nd of 872 public elementary schools	78.0%	37	56.3	39.3	70.8	69.0	58.4	20.8	20.8	71.9	53.6	83.3	62.1	67.3	79.3%	10.3%	$12,311
Caledonia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	511 W Main St	Caledonia	55921	Houston County	Caledonia Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 725-5205	295	24	12.3	30.8%	275 (93.2%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	81.7	127^th of 869 public elementary schools	85.4%		85.7	89^th of 872 public elementary schools	89.8%	38	64.4	74.0	66.0		67.9	35.8	35.8	69.5	79.6	45.3		64.6	88%	0%	$12,802
Rushford-Peterson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Pine Meadows Lane	Rushford	55971	Fillmore County	Rushford-Peterson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 864-7785	266	24	11.2	36.8%	247 (92.9%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	52.8	424^th of 869 public elementary schools	51.2%		62	351^st of 872 public elementary schools	59.7%	73	33.3	42.5	56.5		44.8	30.4	30.4	56.4	55.0	40.0		50.0	82.1%	2.6%	$11,587
Ridgeway Community School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	35564 County Road 12	Houston	55943	Winona County	Ridgeway Community School	Yes	No	No	No	(507) 454-9566	97	10	9.6	23.7%	96 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	75.9	193^rd of 869 public elementary schools	77.8%		59.8	371^st of 872 public elementary schools	57.5%	178	65.0	46.7	75.0		63.6	25.0	25.0	85.0	66.7	50.0		67.3	84.6%	0%	$10,347
La Crescent Montessori & STEM Academy	Public, Charter	K-6	1116 S Oak St	La Crescent	55947	Houston County	La Crescent Montessori & STEM School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(507) 895-4054	55	4	14.2	25.5%	50 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51.4	444^th of 869 public elementary schools	48.9%					(n/a)			45.5	70.0	64.5	27.3	27.3			36.4	20.0	43.8			$8,266
La Crescent-Hokah Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	504 S Oak St	La Crescent	55947	Houston County	La Crescent-Hokah School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 895-4484	359	33	10.7	26.5%	327 (91.1%)	3 (0.8%)	12 (3.3%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.6%)	81.4	130^th of 869 public elementary schools	85.0%		72.5	237^th of 872 public elementary schools	72.8%	107	60.6	63.4			62.0			81.8	62.0			71.5	91.4%	3.4%	$12,930
Spring Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	113 2nd Ave NW	Spring Grove	55974	Houston County	Spring Grove School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 498-3221	186	14	13.3	30.6%	177 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	81.1	134^th of 869 public elementary schools	84.6%		76.6	181^st of 872 public elementary schools	79.2%	47	55.6	53.8	65.5	70.6	62.1	31.0	31.0	77.8	57.7	72.4	70.6	69.8	81%	19%	$11,013
Riverway Learning Community Charter	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	1200 Storrs Pond Road	Winona	55987	Winona County	Riverway Learning Community Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(507) 474-6120	61	6	9.6	72.1%	37 (60.7%)	6 (9.8%)	9 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (14.8%)								(n/a)					44.1							41.2	90.9%	0%	$12,919
Mabel-Canton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	316 W Fillmore Ave	Mabel	55954	Fillmore County	Mabel-Canton Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 493-5422	143	10	14.7	24.5%	135 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.2%)	76.3	189^th of 869 public elementary schools	78.3%		77.1	179^th of 872 public elementary schools	79.5%	10	62.5	57.1	69.6	85.0	69.9	43.5	43.5	81.3	46.7	34.8	45.0	50.0	94.1%	0%	$10,645

Frequently Asked Questions about Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar

What district is Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar in?

Houston Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar?

Students at Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar are 48% White, 20% African American, 14% Two or more races, 13% Hispanic, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar?

In the 2024-25 school year, 392 students attended Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar.

Is Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar a good school?

Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar ranks 599^th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar!

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2022–23 dropout ratesNewNov 13, 2026

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

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

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.