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Challenger Elementary

Q: Is Challenger Elementary a good school?

Challenger Elementary ranks 405 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

405^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Challenger Elementary in Thief River Falls, MN, is a mid-sized school serving 727 students in grades PK-5 within the Thief River Falls School District, a district ranked in the middle of the pack statewide. The school has shown a pattern of moderate performance over the last decade, with its state ranking fluctuating between the 42nd and 54th percentiles. In the most recent year (2024-2025), it achieved its highest ranking in several years, placing in the 54th percentile (3 stars), a notable improvement from the 44th percentile in the prior year. The school has a moderate level of economic disadvantage, with 43.19% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.3:1.

Challenger Elementary is a school of contrasts. Its most defining strength is exceptional performance with economically disadvantaged students, ranking in the 73rd percentile (4 stars) in 2024-2025—a dramatic jump from the 47th percentile the year before, suggesting a recent, targeted initiative is yielding strong results. The school also shows strong support for special education students, ranking in the 55th percentile. However, there is a "Jekyll and Hyde" performance by grade level: 3rd-grade math proficiency is stellar at 66.96% (well above the state's 57.93%), but 5th-grade math proficiency plummets to 35.25% (significantly below the state's 42.94%). This pattern is less severe in reading, but 5th-grade reading (55.74%) also falls below the state average (57.09%).

Compared to nearby schools, Challenger has a much lower student-teacher ratio than Newfolden Elementary (13.3 vs. 18.3), a significant structural advantage, though Newfolden has a slightly higher overall rank (56th percentile). J.A. Hughes Elementary in Red Lake Falls is the clear academic leader in the area, consistently ranking in the 70th-80th percentiles and outperforming Challenger in nearly every subject and grade level. Challenger is in a much stronger position than Goodridge Elementary, which ranks in the 29th percentile. The school's success with low-SES students is a powerful story, but the overall ranking is held back by a steep decline in performance from 3rd to 5th grade, particularly in math.

727

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,437

Per pupil spending ?

43.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

601 County Road 61
Thief River Falls, MN 56701-4004

(218) 681-2345

District: Thief River Falls School District

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Franklin Middle
High:	Lincoln Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.6%

Hispanic:

10.6%

Two or more races:

6.6%

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Compare Challenger Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 43rd percentile in 2015 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Minnesota median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg42%

Minnesota avg47%

405^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 43% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

238^th of 446Thief River Falls 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	56.8	405 of 872	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	489 of 881	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.1	402 of 845	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.6	483 of 858	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.1	508 of 869	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.1	437 of 870	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.7	386 of 847	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.8	420 of 853	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.6	455 of 848	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.4	475 of 840	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	51.9	473 of 826	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	59.5	379 of 824	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.4	363 of 820	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	74.0	168 of 814	79.4%	★★★★☆
2010	72.8	179 of 803	77.7%	★★★★☆
2009	47.3	279 of 434	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.2	489 of 781	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.1	507 of 777	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.2	406 of 756	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	58.5	322 of 685	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.3	440 of 676	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2003	53.8	376 of 674	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	57.6	357 of 799	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	413 of 809	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.9	429 of 787	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.0	481 of 799	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.8	462 of 783	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.5	403 of 787	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.2	390 of 774	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	41.1	158 of 249	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	141 of 209	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.2	110 of 220	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	66.3	208 of 764	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	49.5	424 of 793	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.6	328 of 774	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.1	286 of 663	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.9	341 of 683	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.0	310 of 740	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.1	292 of 728	59.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	420 of 812	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.7	505 of 826	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.5	347 of 799	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.1	405 of 808	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.4	461 of 784	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.0	419 of 798	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.6	362 of 779	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	47.5	52 of 96	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.9	63 of 98	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	44.5	12 of 21	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	51.4	253 of 562	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.0	377 of 572	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.4	303 of 524	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.0	238 of 500	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.1	144 of 417	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.8	278 of 515	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.2	269 of 463	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	479 of 714	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	547 of 730	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.0	466 of 712	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.1	520 of 725	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.5	551 of 710	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.1	452 of 722	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	483 of 712	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)73rd percentile+19 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)55th percentile~ school

Male (2025)48th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)46th percentile-4 vs school

Native American (2022)43rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)37th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)33rd percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math53%+7 vs state

Reading50%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Challenger Elementary

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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 (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
Challenger Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 County Road 61	Thief River Falls	56701	Pennington County	Thief River Falls School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 681-2345	727	55	13.3	43.2%	586 (80.6%)	3 (0.4%)	77 (10.6%)	4 (0.6%)	9 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.6%)	56.8	405^th of 872 public elementary schools	53.6%		50.4	489^th of 881 public elementary schools	44.5%	84	67.0	56.4	35.3		52.6	43.0	49.6	55.7		49.6	$10,437
Viking Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	305 Melgaard St	Viking	56760	Marshall County	Marshall County Central Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 523-4425	77	9	9.0	42.9%	71 (92.2%)	1 (1.3%)	3 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)								(n/a)											$12,415
Red Lake County Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	260 Minnesota St S	Plummer	56748	Red Lake County	Red Lake County Central Public School	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 465-4222	178	18	9.9	40.4%	164 (92.1%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.4%)	48.8	486^th of 872 public elementary schools	44.3%		48	517^th of 881 public elementary schools	41.3%	31	68.2	62.5	29.0	24.3	42.1	27.3	66.7	54.8	46.0	49.1	$5,214
J.A. Hughes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	601 1st St NE	Red Lake Falls	56750	Red Lake County	Red Lake Falls Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 253-2161	237	24	9.9	42.2%	201 (84.8%)	1 (0.4%)	12 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (9.3%)	71.4	249^th of 872 public elementary schools	71.4%		79.8	145^th of 881 public elementary schools	83.5%	104	64.7	65.6	55.6	54.6	60.0	52.9	40.6	63.9	63.6	55.6	$11,033
Goodridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	201 Osmund Ave	Goodridge	56725	Pennington County	Goodridge Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 378-4134	161	11	15.2	45.3%	142 (88.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.5%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.8%)	33.5	615^th of 872 public elementary schools	29.5%		34.2	625^th of 881 public elementary schools	29.1%	10	45.5	66.7	7.1	23.8	38.5	40.9	28.6	26.7	42.9	35.4	$13,906
Newfolden Elementary	Public	2-4	305 W Minnesota Ave	Newfolden	56738	Marshall County	Marshall County Central Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 874-8805	93	5	18.3	44.1%	88 (94.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	59	382^nd of 872 public elementary schools	56.2%		62.3	350^th of 881 public elementary schools	60.3%	32	64.7	53.1			59.1	52.9	40.6			47.0	$11,942

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Elementary

What district is Challenger Elementary in?

Thief River Falls School District

How many students attend Challenger Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 727 students attended Challenger Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Elementary?

Students at Challenger Elementary are 81% White, 11% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

Is Challenger Elementary a good school?

Challenger Elementary ranks 405^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Challenger Elementary attend?

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Franklin Middle
High : Lincoln Senior High

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Schools in Thief River Falls, MN

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

2022–23 graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.