Grygla Elementary

Grygla Elementary is a PK–6 public elementary school in Grygla, Minnesota, in the northwestern part of the state, serving 68 students within the Grygla Public School District. The district ranks 382nd of 458 Minnesota districts (17th percentile, 1 star), in the bottom fifth of the state. Because the school is so small, grade-level groups often number in the single digits or low teens, and some 3rd- and 6th-grade Math and Reading results are suppressed for privacy. Reported percentages like 16.7% and 20% reflect tiny cohorts, so one student’s score can move results by many points. The school’s decade-long ranking history is highly volatile, from the 81st percentile in 2018–19 to the 15th percentile in 2025–26, with an average near the 43rd percentile that describes almost no year well.

Compared with nearby Goodridge Elementary (PK–6, 161 students, 13.7 miles away), the school has roughly half the student–teacher ratio (8.5:1 vs. 15.2:1) and a lower free/reduced lunch rate (29.41% vs. 45.34%). Yet all-grade proficiency is nearly identical and below state averages: Math 33.3% at the school, 34.7% at the neighboring school, and 44.9% in Minnesota; Reading 34.2%, 35.5%, and 48.6%. Science stands out: the school reported an exact 0% in 2025–26, versus 4.5% at the neighboring school and 25.5% statewide. That zero is a real reported result, not a suppressed value, and the clearest signal not easily explained by small-sample noise. Both districts rank in the bottom fifth of Minnesota, so the gap to the state is larger than the gap between them.

The school’s 2025–26 results are its weakest of the decade: Math fell from 47.5% to 33.3% and Reading from 42.5% to 34.2%, dropping to the 15th percentile (1 star) from the 58th percentile (3 stars) the prior year. With tiny cohorts, that decline could be driven by a handful of students; the prior four years were at or above the 30th percentile, including a 67th-percentile year. Grade-level results diverge, with 4th grade trailing the neighboring school and 5th-grade Reading at 50%, close to the state’s 54.5%. For parents, the most defensible concerns are Science and 4th grade, not one volatile year.