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Challenger Elementary

Q: Is Challenger Elementary a good school?

Challenger Elementary ranks 453 rd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

453^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Challenger Elementary is a public PK–5 school serving 727 students in Thief River Falls, a small city in northwestern Minnesota, and is part of the Thief River Falls School District. In 2025–2026 it ranked 453rd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools — the 48th percentile with 2 stars — almost exactly matching its district's 47th percentile and 2 stars. Its rank has hovered between the 42nd and 54th percentile for a decade, making it a stable, mid-pack school. It is also much larger than its neighbors, most of which serve between 77 and 237 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 13.3 and a free/reduced lunch rate of 43.19%, similar to surrounding rural schools.

Math is Challenger's clearest relative strength: 48.2% of students were proficient in 2025–2026, above the district's 37.0% and the state's 44.9%, and the school has outperformed the state in math for four consecutive reported years. Reading is mixed at 46.9% — above the district's 43.8% but slightly below the state's 48.6%. Science is the biggest academic concern, falling from 47.74% in 2022–2023 to 23.9% in 2025–2026, below the state's 25.5%. Grade-level results vary widely: fourth grade beats the state in both math (59.2%) and reading (50.8%), while third-grade reading (36.5%) is 10.3 points below the state and fifth-grade math (32.8%) is 9.1 points below.

Compared with nearby schools, Challenger is neither the regional leader nor at the bottom. Newfolden Elementary (61.3% math, 58.1% reading) and J.A. Hughes Elementary (53.8% math, 57.7% reading) score higher in both subjects, while Challenger leads Goodridge Elementary clearly across math, reading, and science. Against Red Lake County Central Elementary, results are mixed: Challenger is stronger in math but weaker in reading and science. Since free/reduced lunch rates across these schools all fall near 40–45%, the differences are not explained by dramatically different poverty levels. Overall, Challenger looks solid but not standout — mid-pack statewide, stronger in math, uneven in reading, and currently challenged in science.

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%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Challenger Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 46th percentile in 2016 → 48th in 2026

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg37%

Minnesota avg43%

453^rd of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

241^st of 458Thief 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
2026	50.5	453 of 869	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	55.4	364 of 790	53.9%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	29.7	196 of 256	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	51.3	371 of 764	51.4%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	43.6	494 of 807	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	54.2	12 of 39	69.2%	★★★★☆
2022	44.5	12 of 21	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	41.0	348 of 579	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	34.2	503 of 710	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
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)

Native American (2026)69th percentile+21 vs school

Female (2026)54th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile+4 vs school

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

Special Education (2026)40th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)39th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)29th percentile-19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)23rd percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math48%+3 vs state

Reading47%~ state avg

Science24%~ 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 (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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 3rd Grade	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	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	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%)	50.5	453^rd of 869 public elementary schools	47.9%		56.8	405^th of 872 public elementary schools	53.6%	48	36.5	50.8	51.5		46.9	23.9	23.9	55.8	59.2	32.8		48.2	$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%)	55	401^st of 869 public elementary schools	53.9%		48.8	486^th of 872 public elementary schools	44.3%	85	41.7	36.4	64.0	53.1	50.5	33.3	33.3	50.0	36.4	32.0	46.9	40.7	$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%)	62.3	317^th of 869 public elementary schools	63.5%		71.4	249^th of 872 public elementary schools	71.4%	68	56.0	44.1	61.8	67.6	57.7	11.8	11.8	76.0	52.9	29.4	62.2	53.8	$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%)	28.9	655^th of 869 public elementary schools	24.6%		33.5	615^th of 872 public elementary schools	29.5%	40	50.0	33.3	31.8	25.0	35.5	4.5	4.5	68.4	50.0	13.6	6.3	34.7	$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%)	64.2	303^rd of 869 public elementary schools	65.1%		59	382^nd of 872 public elementary schools	56.2%	79	77.8	42.9			58.1			81.5	45.7			61.3	$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 453^rd of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 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 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresNewSep 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.