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Paynesville Area Secondary School

Public Grades 6-12

357^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 473 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 25% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

Paynesville Area Secondary School is a combined middle and high school serving 465 students in grades 6–12 in Paynesville, a small city in central Minnesota, and it is effectively the entire secondary system for Paynesville Area Schools. For 2025–2026 it ranks 357th of 473 Minnesota high schools — the 25th percentile, or 1 star — placing it in the bottom quartile statewide.

The school's ranking has slid steadily for a decade, from the 84th percentile in 2016–17 to the 25th percentile now, and it has spent four of the last six years at or below the 40th percentile. That decline is not explained by demographics or staffing: its free/reduced-lunch rate has fallen to 28.4%, and its student-teacher ratio improved to 14.5. Nearby schools with similar profiles do considerably better — New London-Spicer Senior ranks in the 93rd percentile, Eden Valley Secondary in the 74th, and Rocori Senior High in the 61st, while Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Sec. sits at the 20th percentile.

Two numbers define the school. The first is a genuine strength: its 95.2% graduation rate is the highest among nearby comprehensive high schools and about 10 points above the state, though the dropout rate rose to 4.7%. The second is science, where just 9.3% of students are proficient against 25.5% statewide — a gap that also shows up in 8th-grade science (5.5%) and End-of-Course science (12.7%). Math (30.7%) and reading (38.9%) trail the state as well. Notably, 6th graders score at or above state levels, but performance drops sharply by 7th and 8th grade. Special education is a standout bright spot, ranking in the 74th percentile with 4 stars while the school overall sits in the bottom quartile.

465

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,502

Per pupil spending ?

28.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

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 — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 25th in 2026

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Minnesota average (85%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (30% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 37 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg38%

Minnesota avg43%

Middle school

311^th of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 23 pts since 2023

From bottom 20% (2023) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

357^th of 473

Minnesota public high schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 37 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to bottom 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

279^th of 458Paynesville 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
2026	43.8	311 of 546	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	45.4	257 of 467	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	31.2	348 of 458	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	36.4	326 of 483	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	24.8	255 of 296	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	29.1	331 of 435	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	27.1	357 of 473	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	24.1	319 of 398	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	47.1	203 of 377	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	22.7	327 of 395	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	64.5	58 of 224	74.1%	★★★★☆
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
2026	14.6	355 of 394	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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

Female (2026)45th percentile~ school

Male (2026)33rd percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile-19 vs school

White (2026)24th percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2026)14th percentile-29 vs school

High school

Special Education (2026)74th percentile+50 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)46th percentile+22 vs school

Female (2026)20th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)10th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading39%-10 vs state

Math31%-14 vs state

Science9%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Paynesville Area Secondary School

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	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	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%)	27.1	357^th of 473 public high schools	24.5%		27.4	349^th of 450 public high schools	22.4%	8	62.5	30.3	35.7	27.9	38.9	5.5	12.7	9.3	42.2	28.9	26.8	24.1	30.7	$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%)	71.8	122^nd of 473 public high schools	74.2%		80.2	80^th of 450 public high schools	82.2%	42		41.1	44.1	45.6	43.7	15.5	41.2	29.4		46.4	54.2	38.8	46.2	$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%)	88.8	34^th of 473 public high schools	92.8%		73.9	110^th of 450 public high schools	75.6%	76				54.7	54.7		49.0	49.0				57.6	57.6	$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	56316	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%)	23.5	378^th of 473 public high schools	20.1%		55.9	224^th of 450 public high schools	50.2%	154	57.8	56.1	43.2	31.6	47.8	2.7	15.8	9.3	26.7	41.5	13.5	8.3	24.5	$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%)	63.1	183^rd of 473 public high schools	61.3%		68.9	144^th of 450 public high schools	68.0%	39				38.1	38.1		40.2	40.2				35.8	35.8	$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.

Is Paynesville Area Secondary School a good school?

Paynesville Area Secondary School ranks in the bottom 24.5% of Minnesota high schools.

What district is Paynesville Area Secondary School in?

Paynesville Area 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 schools feed into Paynesville Area Secondary School?

Paynesville Area Secondary School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Paynesville Area Elementary

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 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.