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Mountain Lake Elementary

Q: Is Mountain Lake Elementary a good school?

Mountain Lake Elementary ranks 594 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

594^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Mountain Lake Elementary is a public elementary school serving 269 students in grades PK-6 in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, which is part of the Mountain Lake Public Schools district.

While the school's academic performance, as measured by MCA-III test scores, is generally below the state average across grades and subjects, with proficiency rates in math and reading of 37.24% and 39.58% respectively in 2024-2025, it outperforms the nearby St. James Northside Elementary. However, the school lags behind Trimont Elementary, which had higher proficiency rates in both subjects. The school's performance has also declined over the past several years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 210 out of 853 Minnesota elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 594 out of 872 in 2024-2025.

The school faces socioeconomic challenges, with 61.71% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024. While the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students outperforming their White peers, students with special needs and from low-income families tend to struggle. The school's SchoolDigger rating has also decreased from 4 stars out of 5 in 2015-2016 to 2 stars out of 5 in the most recent years, which is lower than the nearby Windom Area Elementary.

257

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,056

Per pupil spending ?

63%

Free/discounted lunch ?

450 12th St N
Mountain Lake, MN 56159-8888

(507) 427-2325

District: Mountain Lake Public Schools

Students who attend Mountain Lake Elementary usually attend:

High:

Mountain Lake Secondary

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.6%

Hispanic:

33.1%

Two or more races:

11.3%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Mountain Lake Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (38% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg37%

Minnesota avg47%

594^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 26 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

252^nd of 446Mountain Lake Public Schools 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	35.5	594 of 872	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.9	569 of 881	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	536 of 845	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.6	597 of 858	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.6	611 of 869	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.3	433 of 870	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.7	368 of 847	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	73.7	210 of 853	75.4%	★★★★☆
2016	71.7	237 of 848	72.1%	★★★★☆
2015	63.1	350 of 840	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.1	319 of 826	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.6	418 of 824	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	69.7	235 of 820	71.3%	★★★★☆
2011	69.8	227 of 814	72.1%	★★★★☆
2010	56.8	433 of 803	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	53.7	234 of 434	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.1	467 of 781	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	50.1	481 of 777	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	69.8	198 of 756	73.8%	★★★★☆
2005	32.5	555 of 685	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	43.4	471 of 676	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2003	45.0	459 of 674	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	54.7	90 of 256	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.8	71 of 175	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	34.1	562 of 799	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.5	495 of 809	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.7	473 of 787	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	558 of 799	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.3	530 of 783	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.3	417 of 787	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.7	314 of 774	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	37.1	149 of 238	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.8	79 of 249	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	80 of 214	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.5	137 of 209	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.1	94 of 153	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	89.0	9 of 220	95.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	594 of 764	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.2	483 of 793	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.2	411 of 774	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	419 of 663	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.3	362 of 683	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	74.6	133 of 740	82.0%	★★★★☆
2018	79.9	77 of 728	89.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	34.6	586 of 812	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.3	572 of 826	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	541 of 799	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	562 of 808	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.7	584 of 784	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.5	414 of 798	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.0	391 of 779	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	549 of 562	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	533 of 572	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.5	417 of 524	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	460 of 714	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	548 of 730	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.4	517 of 712	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.3	498 of 725	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.5	494 of 710	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.0	325 of 722	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.4	355 of 712	50.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2022)65th percentile+34 vs school

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)36th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile~ school

Male (2025)28th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)22nd percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2025)2nd percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading40%-10 vs state

Math37%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mountain Lake Elementary

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 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
Mountain Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	450 12th St N	Mountain Lake	56159	Cottonwood County	Mountain Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 427-2325	257	21	12.0	63.0%	130 (50.6%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (33.1%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	29 (11.3%)	35.5	594^th of 872 public elementary schools	31.9%		41.9	569^th of 881 public elementary schools	35.4%	25	41.9	38.6	38.5	31.8	37.2	30.0	36.4	38.5	50.0	39.6	$12,056
Butterfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	440 Hubbard Ave	Butterfield	56120	Watonwan County	Butterfield-Odin Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 956-2771	110	13	8.6	75.5%	22 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (74.5%)	6 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36.4	590^th of 872 public elementary schools	32.3%		30.1	654^th of 881 public elementary schools	25.8%	64	57.1	64.3	23.5	28.6	42.4	35.7	35.7	29.4	42.9	35.6	$16,268
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)
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
Comfrey Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	305 Ochre St W	Comfrey	56019	Brown County	Comfrey Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 877-3491	57	6	8.9	42.1%	53 (93.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.5%)	2 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					51.9					70.4	$16,323
St. James Northside Elementary	Public	K-5	1273 10th Ave N	Saint James	56081	Watonwan County	St. James Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 375-3325	502	38	13.3	59.0%	176 (35.1%)	0 (0.0%)	318 (63.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	31.5	630^th of 872 public elementary schools	27.8%		40.5	579^th of 881 public elementary schools	34.3%	51	50.0	39.0	36.4		42.2	31.0	30.5	43.9		34.5	$13,011
Trimont Elementary	Public	3-6	77 W Beech St	Trimont	56176	Martin County	Martin County West School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 639-2071	200	15	13.6	36.5%	177 (88.5%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.0%)	2 (1.0%)	4 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	48.2	492^nd of 872 public elementary schools	43.6%		61.4	362^nd of 881 public elementary schools	58.9%	130	58.3	51.9	34.0	46.9	48.0	41.7	41.2	48.9	40.8	43.1	$11,420

Frequently Asked Questions about Mountain Lake Elementary

What schools do graduates of Mountain Lake Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mountain Lake Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Mountain Lake Secondary

What district is Mountain Lake Elementary in?

Mountain Lake Public Schools

Is Mountain Lake Elementary a good school?

Mountain Lake Elementary ranks 594^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mountain Lake Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 257 students attended Mountain Lake Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Mountain Lake Elementary?

Students at Mountain Lake Elementary are 51% White, 33% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander.

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Schools in Mountain Lake, MN

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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.