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Paynesville Area Secondary School

Public Grades 6-12

349^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 450 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 22% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

Paynesville Area Secondary School is a public high school serving grades 6-12 in Paynesville, Minnesota, with 484 students. While the school was once highly ranked, it has seen a decline in recent years, now ranking 349th out of 450 Minnesota high schools and earning a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school struggles with performance across various student subgroups, ranking in the bottom half of Minnesota high schools for female, male, and white student performance. However, the school performs relatively well for special education students, ranking 59th out of 221 Minnesota high schools in 2023-2024. The school's proficiency rates on state assessments are consistently lower than the state and Paynesville Area Schools district averages across math, reading, and science. The school's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated in recent years, ranging from 83.3% to 93.5%, while its dropout rate has varied from 2.3% to 4.8%.

In contrast, some nearby schools, such as New London-Spicer Senior and Eden Valley Secondary, have maintained higher rankings and 4-star ratings from SchoolDigger. The school's declining performance and subgroup disparities suggest that Paynesville Area Secondary School may need to focus on addressing these challenges and providing more targeted support to improve outcomes for all students.

465

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,502

Per pupil spending ?

28.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

795 Business 23 S
Paynesville, MN 56362-8888

(320) 243-3761

District: Paynesville Area Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.2%

Hispanic:

6.2%

Two or more races:

1.9%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare Paynesville Area Secondary School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 41st percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2025

Strengths

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the Minnesota average (84%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (31% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg44%

Minnesota avg47%

Middle school

322^nd of 519

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 18 pts since 2023

From bottom 20% (2023) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

349^th of 450

Minnesota public high schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

256^th of 446Paynesville Area 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	322 of 519	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.0	305 of 545	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.5	425 of 529	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	336 of 450	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.6	304 of 474	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.4	380 of 455	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	406 of 467	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	39.5	275 of 432	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	213 of 473	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	20.2	392 of 459	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.6	344 of 404	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	46.1	245 of 452	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.4	254 of 479	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.9	373 of 464	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	394 of 476	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	32.0	194 of 265	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	67.8	68 of 307	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	32.6	210 of 298	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.8	236 of 288	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	21.5	362 of 415	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	359 of 440	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	413 of 436	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.9	432 of 438	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	27.4	349 of 450	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.2	323 of 480	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.6	214 of 476	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.5	283 of 472	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	343 of 428	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.2	180 of 492	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.5	162 of 494	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	78.9	80 of 489	83.6%	★★★★☆
2016	65.6	187 of 489	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.4	298 of 504	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	76.9	95 of 483	80.3%	★★★★☆
2013	73.7	114 of 534	78.7%	★★★★☆
2012	80.8	52 of 539	90.4%	★★★★★
2011	76.4	91 of 545	83.3%	★★★★☆
2010	73.8	121 of 540	77.6%	★★★★☆
2008	56.3	261 of 460	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	67.0	177 of 463	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	78.0	92 of 450	79.6%	★★★★☆
2005	78.8	67 of 452	85.2%	★★★★☆
2004	81.4	34 of 433	92.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	17.4	311 of 358	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	311 of 403	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.9	179 of 396	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.4	256 of 388	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.9	293 of 339	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.9	198 of 401	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.8	91 of 395	77.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	229 of 333	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.9	247 of 389	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	239 of 393	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	201 of 312	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.8	92 of 370	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	70.3	89 of 374	76.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	26.5	302 of 377	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.0	256 of 405	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.1	261 of 398	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.0	265 of 403	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.2	306 of 351	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	64.4	153 of 411	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.6	227 of 398	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	67.0	59 of 221	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	53.8	95 of 214	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	6.7	214 of 220	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	346 of 376	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	345 of 402	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.9	242 of 398	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	331 of 401	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	330 of 364	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	54.2	208 of 412	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.9	200 of 414	51.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Middle school

Male (2025)46th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)36th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)27th percentile-11 vs school

Female (2025)25th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)13th percentile-25 vs school

High school

Special Education (2024)73rd percentile+41 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)20th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)13th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)8th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading40%-10 vs state

Math22%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Paynesville Area Secondary 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 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Paynesville Area Secondary School	Public	6-12	795 Business 23 S	Paynesville	56362	Stearns County	Paynesville Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(320) 243-3761	465	32	14.5	28.4%	424 (91.2%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	27.4	349^th of 450 public high schools	22.4%		37.2	323^rd of 480 public high schools	32.7%	26	33.3	33.3	5.1	15.3	22.4	54.7	42.1	22.0	36.1	39.7	$12,502
WCED 18-22 Program	Public	12	805 E State Highway 55	Paynesville	56362	Stearns County	West Central Education District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(320) 256-6026	10	1	10.0	30.0%	9 (90.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Eden Valley-Watkins Alp	Public	8-12	298 Brooks St N	Eden Valley	55329	Meeker County	Eden Valley-Watkins School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 453-2900	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)											$3,483
Eden Valley Secondary	Public	7-12	298 Brooks St N	Eden Valley	55329	Meeker County	Eden Valley-Watkins School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 453-2900	425	27	15.5	22.8%	396 (93.2%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	80.2	80^th of 450 public high schools	82.2%		79.7	78^th of 480 public high schools	83.8%	2		49.2	57.9	51.7	52.7		51.7	44.6	53.7	50.3	$11,078
New London-Spicer Senior	Public	9-12	101 4th Ave SW	New London	56273	Kandiyohi County	New London-Spicer School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 354-2252	448	30	14.7	19.9%	422 (94.2%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	73.9	110^th of 450 public high schools	75.6%		77.1	95^th of 480 public high schools	80.2%	15				36.2	36.2				60.4	60.4	$11,902
New London Alternative School	Public	9-12	101 4th Ave SW	New London	56273	Kandiyohi County	New London-Spicer School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 354-2252	12	1	10.5	33.3%	10 (83.3%)	1 (8.3%)	1 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$17,551
Bbe Learning Center	Public	7-12	710 Washburn Ave	Belgrade	56312	Stearns County	Region 6 and 8-SW/Wc Service Coop	No	No	No	No	(320) 254-8211	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Sec.	Public	6-12	710 Washburn Ave	Belgrade	56312	Stearns County	Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 254-8211	316	26	12.2	34.5%	290 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55.9	224^th of 450 public high schools	50.2%		48.7	264^th of 480 public high schools	45.0%	40	36.6	13.2	17.4	30.2	24.4	73.2	26.3	47.8	48.0	49.3	$13,381
Rocori Online Learning Site	Public, Virtual	6-12	534 5th Ave N	Cold Spring	56320	Stearns County	Rocori Public School District	No	No	Yes	No	(320) 685-4908	72	4	19.1	36.1%	49 (68.1%)	7 (9.7%)	13 (18.1%)	1 (1.4%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)								(n/a)
Rocori Senior High	Public	9-12	534 5th Ave N	Cold Spring	56320	Stearns County	Rocori Public School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 685-8683	824	55	15.1	24.5%	683 (82.9%)	28 (3.4%)	94 (11.4%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.7%)	68.9	144^th of 450 public high schools	68.0%		61.2	201^st of 480 public high schools	58.1%	57				35.3	35.3				55.6	55.6	$12,448

Frequently Asked Questions about Paynesville Area Secondary School

How many students attend Paynesville Area Secondary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 465 students attended Paynesville Area Secondary School.

What schools feed into Paynesville Area Secondary School?

Paynesville Area Secondary School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Paynesville Area Elementary

Is Paynesville Area Secondary School a good school?

Paynesville Area Secondary School ranks in the bottom 22.4% of Minnesota high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Paynesville Area Secondary School?

Students at Paynesville Area Secondary School are 91% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Paynesville Area Secondary School in?

Paynesville Area Schools

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Schools in Paynesville, 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.