Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Prairie Winds Middle School

Q: Is Prairie Winds Middle School a good school?

Prairie Winds Middle School ranks 155 th of 519 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

155^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 519 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 70% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

Prairie Winds Middle School is a public middle school located in Mankato, Minnesota, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 914 students. It is part of the Mankato Public School District, which is ranked 103 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Over the past 10 years, Prairie Winds Middle School has seen a fluctuating statewide ranking, ranging from 155 to 270 out of 500+ Minnesota middle schools, and its SchoolDigger rating has also varied, ranging from 2 to 4 stars out of 5. In the most recent school year (2024-2025), the school ranked 155 out of 519 Minnesota middle schools and received a 4-star rating. However, the school's proficiency rates in MCA-III Math and Reading have been consistently lower than the Mankato Public School District and Minnesota state averages over the past 5 school years.

Interestingly, Dakota Meadows Middle School, another Mankato Public School District middle school, consistently outperforms Prairie Winds Middle School in academic achievement, with higher proficiency rates in Math, Reading, and Science. Additionally, St. Peter Middle School, a middle school in the neighboring St. Peter Public School District, has a similar academic performance to Prairie Winds Middle School, with some variations in specific subject areas.

887

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,184

Per pupil spending ?

42.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1200 Prairie Winds Dr
Mankato, MN 56001-8888

(507) 345-6625

District: Mankato Public School District

Students who attend Prairie Winds Middle School usually attend:

High:

Mankato East Senior High

Feeder schools for Prairie Winds Middle School:

Elementary:	Eagle Lake Elementary
	Franklin Elementary
	Kennedy Elementary
	Rosa Parks Elementary
	More...
	Washington Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.4%

African American:

18.7%

Hispanic:

8.9%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

Compare Prairie Winds Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 66th percentile in 2015 → 70th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Minnesota median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg55%

Minnesota avg47%

155^th of 519

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From top 34% (2015) to top 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Mankato Public School District

103^rd of 446Mankato 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
2025	66.0	155 of 519	70.1%	★★★★☆
2024	58.8	204 of 545	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.5	236 of 529	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.2	230 of 520	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.3	177 of 521	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	251 of 533	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.2	270 of 518	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	61.5	208 of 523	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.9	207 of 508	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.3	176 of 516	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	66.0	156 of 490	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.3	193 of 488	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.7	280 of 469	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	58.8	198 of 478	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.1	183 of 454	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.1	79 of 230	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.1	97 of 409	76.3%	★★★★☆
2007	73.4	79 of 403	80.4%	★★★★☆
2006	62.6	163 of 406	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	51.0	244 of 396	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	64.0	164 of 387	57.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	49.3	84 of 169	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.4	112 of 179	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	120 of 164	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.4	108 of 162	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.3	94 of 141	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.6	117 of 148	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	99 of 137	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	66 of 153	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.1	137 of 158	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	53.8	33 of 133	75.2%	★★★★☆
2022	44.5	59 of 130	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.4	55 of 102	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.2	88 of 120	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	99 of 109	9.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	60.2	158 of 450	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	196 of 474	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	193 of 455	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.9	184 of 467	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.0	128 of 443	71.1%	★★★★☆
2019	50.9	231 of 439	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.3	224 of 436	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	49.4	79 of 175	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.2	131 of 186	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	129 of 178	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	57.4	60 of 188	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.2	47 of 156	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	43.8	88 of 171	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.9	66 of 163	59.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	209 of 432	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.5	296 of 473	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.7	273 of 459	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.4	237 of 404	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.8	204 of 399	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.7	304 of 415	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.7	294 of 401	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	63.2	150 of 452	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.0	202 of 479	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.2	250 of 464	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.1	259 of 476	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.4	196 of 437	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.2	237 of 454	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.9	253 of 438	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	59.4	45 of 113	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.9	69 of 116	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.3	73 of 107	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	104 of 131	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.5	66 of 97	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.2	96 of 120	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.7	99 of 114	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	119 of 265	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	20.6	270 of 307	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	56.1	106 of 298	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.4	97 of 288	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.1	44 of 260	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	41.1	168 of 282	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	129 of 253	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	65.4	123 of 415	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	62.3	135 of 440	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	191 of 436	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.1	183 of 438	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.6	142 of 422	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.9	196 of 428	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	218 of 428	49.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

White (2025)70th percentile~ school

Male (2025)67th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)65th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)60th percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)57th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2025)55th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)55th percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)52nd percentile-19 vs school

African American (2025)50th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading47%~ state avg

Math46%~ state avg

1.0

5 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★5

Rate Prairie Winds Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 2, 2022

The bullying that goes on in this school is out of hand. My child has been having a TON of issues with bullying. Example: bully repeatedly harassing my child and no adult would confront the bully. My child eventually told the bully to shut up one day and my child got sent out of the classroom. The bully had zero repercussions because they have behavioral issues and parents who historically throw a fit if their child gets disciplined. This is unacceptable. My child's mental health is suffering because of this school. I am working on plans to pull them out. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, May 21, 2019

This is a beautiful school with vast resources however its administration is incompetent and they do not have the skill sets required to fix the multitude of problems at this school that includes bullying and fighting. It seems the students run this school while the staff run around like chickens with their heads cut off, so it speak. The kids who really need help don't get it. It might be time for this district to rethink the administration at this school especially given the low test scores, low amount of success, and large amount of chaos and violence. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, November 12, 2018

Poor excuse of teacher who cant handle a child with disability and when nurse sent child home due because being "sick" and dont want to deal with the child after telling them they are fine, they send a letter saying their absences are unacceptable. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, April 17, 2018

This school make me sick of the bulling that goes on and I think the teachers and any other adult there needs to do a better job when concern parents makes a complant!!! Close Quote

Schools Near Prairie Winds Middle School

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 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Prairie Winds Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 Prairie Winds Dr	Mankato	56001	Blue Earth County	Mankato Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 345-6625	887	50	17.8	42.8%	562 (63.4%)	166 (18.7%)	79 (8.9%)	16 (1.8%)	7 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	54 (6.1%)	66	155^th of 519 public middle schools	70.1%		58.8	204^th of 545 public middle schools	62.6%	49		49.3	42.3	48.0	46.5		48.4	43.5	50.5	47.4	$11,184
Central Middle School Alternative Learning Center	Public	6-8	110 Fulton Street	Mankato	56001	Blue Earth County	Mankato Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 387-3047	0	1	2.9		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Dakota Meadows Middle School	Public	6-8	1900 Howard Dr	North Mankato	56001	Nicollet County	Mankato Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 387-5077	852	45	19.1	30.2%	646 (75.8%)	75 (8.8%)	55 (6.5%)	8 (0.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (7.5%)	75.3	103^rd of 519 public middle schools	80.2%		72.1	126^th of 545 public middle schools	76.9%	23		47.5	48.0	50.6	48.6		55.4	54.9	52.8	54.4	$11,176
St. Peter Middle School	Public	5-8	100 Lincoln Dr	Saint Peter	56082	Nicollet County	St. Peter Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 934-4210	617	34	18.2	39.2%	415 (67.3%)	45 (7.3%)	117 (19.0%)	4 (0.6%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.2%)	67.7	146^th of 519 public middle schools	71.9%		71.9	130^th of 545 public middle schools	76.1%	16	42.8	30.7	43.6	46.1	41.0	61.0	62.0	58.2	45.5	56.4	$4,389

Frequently Asked Questions about Prairie Winds Middle School

What district is Prairie Winds Middle School in?

Mankato Public School District

Is Prairie Winds Middle School a good school?

Prairie Winds Middle School ranks 155^th of 519 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Prairie Winds Middle School attend?

Students who attend Prairie Winds Middle School usually go on to attend Mankato East Senior High

How many students attend Prairie Winds Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 887 students attended Prairie Winds Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Prairie Winds Middle School?

Students at Prairie Winds Middle School are 63% White, 19% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate Prairie Winds Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MNMinnesota Middle School Rankings

MNMinnesota District Rankings

Schools in Mankato, MN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Prairie Winds Middle School!

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.