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Lake Benton Elementary

Q: Is Lake Benton Elementary a good school?

Lake Benton Elementary ranks 248 th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

248^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Lake Benton Elementary is a small public school in Lake Benton, MN, serving about 100 students in grades PK–6 as part of the Lake Benton Public School District. In 2025–2026, it ranked 248th out of 869 Minnesota elementary schools (71st percentile, 4 stars), a dip from 88th out of 872 (90th percentile, 5 stars) in 2024–2025, but still well above the state median. The Lake Benton Public School District ranks 95th out of 458 Minnesota districts (79th percentile, 4 stars). It has earned 4 or 5 stars every recent year.

Math and reading are the clearest strengths. In 2025–2026, math proficiency was 67.9%, about 23 points above the state, and reading was 60.4%, about 11.8 points above. Those results beat Pipestone Elementary and RTR Elementary School, though Hendricks Elementary scored higher in math (77.1%), reading (71.4%), and science (50%). Pipestone Elementary is much larger, with 580 students, and its core scores are below state averages; Lake Benton’s math advantage over Pipestone is about 30 percentage points. Grade-level results are strong in grades 5 and 6: 5th-grade math and reading were both 76.9%, 6th-grade math was 76.9%, and 6th-grade reading was 61.5%. The main relative dip is 4th-grade math at 50% versus the state’s 55.2%. Class sizes are favorable (8.3 ratio), and 36.0% receive free or reduced-price lunch.

Science is the main watch item. In 2025–2026, science proficiency was 15.4%, below the state’s 25.5%, and the 5th-grade science score was also 15.4% versus the state’s 25.9%. That was lower than Hendricks Elementary at 50%, RTR Elementary School at 25%, and Pipestone Elementary at 16.7%. Because science is tested at only one elementary grade, a small class can cause large swings: the school scored 53.85% in 2022–2023 and 23.08% in 2024–2025. Heartland Elementary’s test scores are suppressed, and it has only 12 students, so no academic comparison is possible. One historical equity highlight: in 2020–2021, low-income students ranked 7th out of 683 schools (99th percentile, 5 stars). The school looks solid, small, and above average, with strong math and reading, favorable class sizes, and science as the area to watch.

100

Students ?

8.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,899

Per pupil spending ?

36%

Free/discounted lunch ?

101 S Garfield St
Lake Benton, MN 56149-0158

(507) 368-4241

District: Lake Benton Public School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.0%

Hispanic:

7.0%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Lake Benton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (59% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Minnesota median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 10 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg59%

Minnesota avg43%

248^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to top 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

95^th of 458Lake Benton 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	71.5	248 of 869	71.5%	★★★★☆
2025	85.7	88 of 872	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	83.4	110 of 881	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	71.6	234 of 845	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	154 of 858	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	72.9	219 of 869	74.8%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	149 of 870	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	75.4	183 of 847	78.4%	★★★★☆
2017	68.1	296 of 853	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.8	322 of 848	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.1	419 of 840	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.6	433 of 826	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.6	435 of 824	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	78.1	117 of 820	85.7%	★★★★☆
2011	60.8	379 of 814	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	76.3	123 of 803	84.7%	★★★★☆
2009	72.2	107 of 434	75.3%	★★★★☆
2008	33.3	638 of 781	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	63.0	295 of 777	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	51.1	451 of 756	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	64.4	247 of 676	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	18.7	597 of 674	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2021	67.1	256 of 783	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.4	178 of 787	77.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2021	94.5	7 of 683	99.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2021	71.7	199 of 784	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	83.1	84 of 798	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	77.7	138 of 779	82.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	51.1	353 of 710	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.4	208 of 714	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	63.0	240 of 730	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.7	368 of 712	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	64.8	228 of 725	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.3	284 of 710	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.4	174 of 722	75.9%	★★★★☆
2018	63.3	244 of 712	65.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)99th percentile+24 vs school

Male (2021)75th percentile~ school

Female (2021)67th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)50th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math68%+23 vs state

Reading60%+12 vs state

Science15%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lake Benton 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 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th 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 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
Lake Benton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	101 S Garfield St	Lake Benton	56149	Lincoln County	Lake Benton Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 368-4241	100	12	8.3	36.0%	93 (93.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	71.5	248^th of 869 public elementary schools	71.5%		85.7	88^th of 872 public elementary schools	89.9%	160	53.8	50.0	76.9	61.5			60.4	15.4		15.4	69.2	50.0	76.9	76.9			67.9	$11,899
Heartland Elementary	Public	K-8	2171 100th Ave	Lake Benton	56149	Lincoln County	Pipestone Area School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 368-3250	12	2	5.1	75.0%	12 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																		$14,174
Rtr Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	111 County Highway 8	Tyler	56178	Lincoln County	Rtr Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 247-5913	266	26	10.4	36.8%	246 (92.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.9%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	43.1	537^th of 869 public elementary schools	38.2%		53	447^th of 872 public elementary schools	48.7%	90	34.0	31.1	60.0				40.7	25.0		25.0	52.0	48.9	35.0				45.9	$11,852
Lincoln Elementary - Ivanhoe	Public	PK, KG-6	421 N Rebecca St	Ivanhoe	56142	Lincoln County	Ivanhoe Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 694-1540	71	7	9.9	22.5%	67 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	55.7	397^th of 869 public elementary schools	54.3%					(n/a)	41.7			54.5			62.2				58.3			36.4			59.5	$11,546
Pipestone Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1401 7th Street SW	Pipestone	56164	Pipestone County	Pipestone Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 562-6200	580	43	13.4	49.1%	365 (62.9%)	13 (2.2%)	153 (26.4%)	3 (0.5%)	14 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.5%)	35.1	608^th of 869 public elementary schools	30.0%		46.2	511^th of 872 public elementary schools	41.4%	97	40.0	48.8	36.3				41.8	16.7		16.7	38.7	48.8	25.6				37.9	$11,769
Hendricks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	200 E Lincoln St	Hendricks	56136	Lincoln County	Hendricks Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 203-3425	74	11	6.4	40.5%	61 (82.4%)	1 (1.4%)	4 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	2 (2.7%)	5 (6.8%)	96.6	9^th of 869 public elementary schools	99.0%		76.5	187^th of 872 public elementary schools	78.6%	178		75.0	84.6				71.4	50.0		50.0		91.7	76.9				77.1	$18,813

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake Benton Elementary

How many students attend Lake Benton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 100 students attended Lake Benton Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lake Benton Elementary?

Students at Lake Benton Elementary are 93% White, 7% Hispanic.

What district is Lake Benton Elementary in?

Lake Benton Public School District

Is Lake Benton Elementary a good school?

Lake Benton Elementary ranks 248^th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Lake Benton Elementary!

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Schools in Lake Benton, MN

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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.