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Staples-Motley Senior High

Q: Is Staples-Motley Senior High a good school?

Staples-Motley Senior High ranks 178 th of 450 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

178^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 450 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 60% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

Staples-Motley Senior High is a public high school located in Staples, Minnesota, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 318 students. The school is part of the Staples-Motley School District, which is ranked 232 out of 446 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Staples-Motley Senior High has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking over the years, ranging from a high of 115 out of 472 Minnesota high schools in 2021-2022 (4-star rating) to a low of 267 out of 428 in 2020-2021 (2-star rating). In the most recent school year (2024-2025), the school ranked 178 out of 450 Minnesota high schools, with a 3-star rating. Compared to nearby schools, Staples-Motley Senior High generally performs better than Browerville Secondary and Verndale Secondary, which have lower rankings and ratings, but lags behind Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High, which has a higher ranking and rating.

Staples-Motley Senior High has shown mixed results in academic performance, with lower-than-average proficiency rates in math and inconsistent performance in science compared to the state and district averages. The school's graduation and dropout rates are generally on par with or slightly better than the nearby schools. However, the school's performance varies significantly among different student subgroups, with male students outperforming female students and white students performing the lowest. This suggests that the school may need to focus on addressing the specific needs and challenges of underperforming subgroups to improve overall academic outcomes.

309

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,669

Per pupil spending ?

38.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

401 Centennial Dr
Staples, MN 56479-2118

(218) 894-2431

District: Staples-Motley School District

Feeder schools for Staples-Motley Senior High:

Elementary:	Staples-Motley Elementary
Middle:	Staples-Motley Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.0%

Two or more races:

5.5%

Hispanic:

3.2%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare Staples-Motley Senior High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 76th percentile in 2022 → 60th in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Above the Minnesota median (60th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 76th-percentile peak (2022) to 60th (2025)

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

!Math scores 12 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg40%

Minnesota avg47%

178^th of 450

Minnesota public high schools ?

Top 40%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to top 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

232^nd of 446Staples-Motley 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	39.1	350 of 533	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.1	326 of 518	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.2	373 of 523	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	63.1	178 of 450	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.4	168 of 480	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.7	185 of 476	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.9	115 of 472	75.6%	★★★★☆
2021	44.5	267 of 428	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.3	235 of 492	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.9	126 of 494	74.5%	★★★★☆
2017	60.6	225 of 489	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.8	273 of 489	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	59.8	233 of 504	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.9	154 of 483	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.1	288 of 534	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.7	341 of 539	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	54.4	309 of 545	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.2	346 of 540	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	58.1	250 of 460	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.2	281 of 463	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	45.4	308 of 450	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	62.0	260 of 452	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	49.6	317 of 433	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	60.1	153 of 358	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.4	261 of 403	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.6	189 of 396	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.3	135 of 388	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.4	135 of 339	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.7	166 of 401	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.1	191 of 395	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	167 of 333	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.6	107 of 389	72.5%	★★★★☆
2023	54.3	172 of 393	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.3	34 of 312	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	61.4	94 of 270	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.5	64 of 370	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	80.4	51 of 374	86.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	55.5	173 of 377	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.4	77 of 405	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	59.0	157 of 398	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.6	113 of 403	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	27.1	291 of 351	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.3	257 of 411	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	74.9	85 of 398	78.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	83 of 178	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.7	92 of 221	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.9	145 of 216	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.4	107 of 214	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	8.5	171 of 173	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.8	186 of 220	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.0	123 of 195	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	239 of 376	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.3	223 of 402	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.6	234 of 398	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.3	181 of 401	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.0	290 of 364	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.3	245 of 412	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.6	164 of 414	60.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

High school

Female (2025)57th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)54th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2025)53rd percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)36th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading52%~ state avg

Math33%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Staples-Motley Senior High

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 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Staples-Motley Senior High	Public	9-12	401 Centennial Dr	Staples	56479	Todd County	Staples-Motley School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 894-2431	309	19	16.3	38.2%	275 (89.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.5%)	63.1	178^th of 450 public high schools	60.4%		66.4	168^th of 480 public high schools	65.0%	10			33.3	33.3			52.0	52.0	$13,669
FED Staples-Motley Credit Recovery	Public	9-12	401 Centennial Dr	Staples	56479	Todd County	Freshwater Education District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(218) 631-3505	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Verndale Secondary	Public	7-12	411 SW Brown St	Verndale	56481	Wadena County	Verndale Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 445-5184	231	19	11.9	46.8%	206 (89.2%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.9%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.2%)	40.6	296^th of 450 public high schools	34.2%		47	276^th of 480 public high schools	42.5%	20	17.7	7.7	38.9	17.6	38.2	15.4	34.2	28.8	$10,617
Bertha Secondary	Public	7-12	310 Central Ave S	Bertha	56437	Todd County	Bertha-Hewitt Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 924-2500	213	16	13.3	45.1%	199 (93.4%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	53.6	234^th of 450 public high schools	48.0%		48.1	271^st of 480 public high schools	43.5%	37	28.6	20.5	22.6	23.8	34.3	28.2	57.9	36.6	$13,767
Central Lakes Adventure School	Public, Charter	7-12	12763 County Road 1 SW	Pillager	56473	Cass County	Central Lakes Adventure School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 746-3875	36	0	13.2	63.9%	31 (86.1%)	1 (2.8%)	3 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.8%)								(n/a)									$16,007
Pillager Senior High School	Public	9-12	323 E 2nd St S	Pillager	56473	Cass County	Pillager Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 746-2117	370	22	17.1	32.2%	339 (91.6%)	7 (1.9%)	12 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.7%)	50.9	251^st of 450 public high schools	44.2%		56.3	227^th of 480 public high schools	52.7%	24			38.8	38.8			37.4	37.4	$12,067
Freshwater Education District Alternative Learning Center	Public	6-12	2222 Industrial Drive	Wadena	56482	Wadena County	Freshwater Education District	No	No	No	No	(218) 631-3505	101	10	9.6	61.4%	75 (74.3%)	1 (1.0%)	16 (15.8%)	1 (1.0%)	2 (2.0%)	1 (1.0%)	5 (5.0%)	10.5	417^th of 450 public high schools	7.3%		11.3	430^th of 480 public high schools	10.4%	13			8.0	8.0			12.5	12.5
White Pine Academy	Public	5-12	2222 Industrial Drive	Wadena	56482	Wadena County	Freshwater Education District	No	No	No	No	(218) 631-3505	11	3	4.3	72.7%	10 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)								(n/a)
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High	Public	7-12	600 Colfax Ave SW	Wadena	56482	Wadena County	Wadena-Deer Creek School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 632-2300	470	24	19.7	39.6%	408 (86.8%)	6 (1.3%)	21 (4.5%)	2 (0.4%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.7%)	58.6	211^th of 450 public high schools	53.1%		68.4	151^st of 480 public high schools	68.5%	60	26.7	42.2	28.6	31.8	28.0	34.9	52.3	37.1	$12,843
Browerville Secondary	Public	7-12	620 Park Ave N	Browerville	56438	Todd County	Browerville Public School District	No	No	No	No	(320) 594-2272	291	41	7.1	40.2%	242 (83.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (14.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.7%)	54.8	229^th of 450 public high schools	49.1%		53	243^rd of 480 public high schools	49.4%	14	39.6	38.1	43.6	40.3	39.6	38.1	37.8	38.6	$13,266

Frequently Asked Questions about Staples-Motley Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Staples-Motley Senior High?

Students at Staples-Motley Senior High are 89% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Staples-Motley Senior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 309 students attended Staples-Motley Senior High.

What schools feed into Staples-Motley Senior High?

Staples-Motley Senior High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Staples-Motley Elementary
Middle : Staples-Motley Middle School

Is Staples-Motley Senior High a good school?

Staples-Motley Senior High ranks 178^th of 450 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Staples-Motley Senior High in?

Staples-Motley School District

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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.