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Wm. M. Kelley Secondary

Public Grades 6-12
321st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 473 Minnesota High Schools
Better than 32% of Minnesota high schools
Summary

Wm. M. Kelley Secondary is a small, rural public combined middle and high school in Silver Bay, MN, serving about 179 students in grades 6–12 — roughly 25 students per grade — and it is the only school within 20 miles, so all comparisons below are against the district and the state rather than nearby schools.

The school's biggest story is a long slide in statewide standing. In 2020–2021 it ranked 9th out of 428 Minnesota schools (98th percentile, 5 stars). Six years later it ranks 321st out of 473 (32nd percentile, 2 stars), after a steady drop through 2024–2025. The last two years look flat, suggesting the school has stopped falling but hasn't yet recovered. Test scores tell the same story: in 2025–2026, proficiency was 25.5% in math, 31.9% in reading, and 15.1% in science — below both Lake Superior Public School District and the state in every subject, with the widest district gap in reading (about 16 points) and the widest state gap in math (about 19 points). Math has now declined four years in a row.

What's genuinely strong here is graduation: the school has met or exceeded the state rate in four of the last five years, averaging roughly 89.8% versus about 83.8% statewide. The concern is dropout, which at 7.6% in 2024–2025 was nearly three times the district's 2.8% and almost double the state's. Results also vary by group: female students rank around the 32nd percentile statewide while male students rank around the 11th. There are bright spots at the grade level — 7th grade reading, 7th grade math, 11th grade math, and 8th grade science all beat the district — though 6th grade reading (28.6% vs. the district's 55.4%) is the largest grade-level gap. Overall: students are finishing school, but measured academic mastery trails the state.

179
Students ?
14.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$23,731
Per pupil spending ?
26.3%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.
 137 Banks Blvd
       Silver Bay, MN  55614-8888

(218) 226-4437

District: Lake Superior Public School District


Feeder schools for Wm. M. Kelley Secondary:

Elementary:    William Kelley Elementary
Racial breakdown:

White:
88.8%
Two or more races:
6.1%
Hispanic:
1.7%
more
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At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2016 → 32nd in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Minnesota average (26% vs 43% meeting standards)
!Dropout rate above the Minnesota average (8% vs 4%)
!Ranking has slipped — down 28 percentile points since 2016
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school26%
District avg38%
Minnesota avg43%
Middle school
378th of 546
Minnesota public middle schools ?
Bottom 31%▼ down 16 pts since 2016
From bottom 47% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
321st of 473
Minnesota public high schools ?
Bottom 32%▼ down 28 pts since 2016
From top 40% (2016) to bottom 32% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 2High Schools in the Lake Superior Public School District
236th of 458Lake Superior Public 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202633.5378 of 54630.8%★★☆☆☆
202535.3360 of 51930.6%★★☆☆☆
202433.6375 of 54531.2%★★☆☆☆
202353.0240 of 52954.6%★★★☆☆
202243.5303 of 52041.7%★★☆☆☆
202147.3272 of 52147.8%★★☆☆☆
201951.0275 of 53348.4%★★☆☆☆
201863.1188 of 51863.7%★★★☆☆
201755.3250 of 52352.2%★★★☆☆
201648.8270 of 50846.9%★★☆☆☆
201539.0341 of 51633.9%★★☆☆☆
201430.8379 of 49022.7%★☆☆☆☆
201351.7250 of 48848.8%★★☆☆☆
201252.0265 of 46943.5%★★☆☆☆
201144.2314 of 47834.3%★★☆☆☆
201056.7218 of 45452.0%★★★☆☆
200959.6102 of 23055.7%★★★☆☆
200847.7257 of 40937.2%★★☆☆☆
200740.0291 of 40327.8%★☆☆☆☆
200643.9282 of 40630.5%★★☆☆☆
200570.0123 of 39668.9%★★★☆☆
200444.0273 of 38729.5%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202640.2287 of 46738.5%★★☆☆☆
202536.6294 of 45034.7%★★☆☆☆
202440.4299 of 47436.9%★★☆☆☆
202345.3254 of 45544.2%★★☆☆☆
202223.3377 of 46719.3%★☆☆☆☆
201939.5307 of 43930.1%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202443.6266 of 47343.8%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202625.3379 of 48321.5%★☆☆☆☆
202529.7341 of 45224.6%★☆☆☆☆
202424.9383 of 47920.0%★☆☆☆☆
201954.9205 of 45454.8%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202617.7391 of 43510.1%★☆☆☆☆
202522.2360 of 41513.3%★☆☆☆☆
202419.1390 of 44011.4%★☆☆☆☆
202336.1298 of 43631.7%★★☆☆☆
202226.0352 of 43819.6%★☆☆☆☆
202129.3315 of 42225.4%★☆☆☆☆
201940.9272 of 42836.4%★★☆☆☆
201853.5196 of 42854.2%★★★☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202633.5321 of 47332.1%★★☆☆☆
202535.1319 of 45029.1%★☆☆☆☆
202437.8322 of 48032.9%★★☆☆☆
202358.8201 of 47657.8%★★★☆☆
202272.5120 of 47274.6%★★★★☆
202193.99 of 42897.9%★★★★★
201954.5270 of 49245.1%★★☆☆☆
201862.2218 of 49455.9%★★★☆☆
201747.0314 of 48935.8%★★☆☆☆
201664.3194 of 48960.3%★★★☆☆
201574.5113 of 50477.6%★★★★☆
201458.5239 of 48350.5%★★★☆☆
201350.4322 of 53439.7%★★☆☆☆
201268.6195 of 53963.8%★★★☆☆
201158.6282 of 54548.3%★★☆☆☆
201068.4179 of 54066.9%★★★☆☆
200961.3118 of 23449.6%★★★☆☆
200843.6325 of 46029.3%★☆☆☆☆
200747.1304 of 46334.3%★★☆☆☆
200655.1261 of 45042.0%★★☆☆☆
200558.4283 of 45237.4%★★☆☆☆
200458.6275 of 43336.5%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202636.5269 of 39832.4%★★☆☆☆
202527.3279 of 35822.1%★☆☆☆☆
202424.6317 of 40321.3%★☆☆☆☆
202364.8125 of 39668.4%★★★☆☆
202277.954 of 38886.1%★★★★☆
201839.2281 of 39528.9%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202340.9242 of 39338.4%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202616.3350 of 39511.4%★☆☆☆☆
202332.7293 of 39826.4%★☆☆☆☆
202254.0194 of 40351.9%★★★☆☆
201946.3251 of 41138.9%★★☆☆☆
201867.6127 of 39868.1%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMinnesota percentileRating
202617.3346 of 39412.2%★☆☆☆☆
202518.6337 of 37610.4%★☆☆☆☆
202422.9340 of 40215.4%★☆☆☆☆
202355.9177 of 39855.5%★★★☆☆
202273.773 of 40181.8%★★★★☆
202190.215 of 36495.9%★★★★★
201938.4298 of 41227.7%★☆☆☆☆
201847.8255 of 41438.4%★★☆☆☆
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)
Middle school
Low Socio Economic Status (2024)44th percentile+13 vs school
Female (2026)39th percentile+8 vs school
Male (2026)22nd percentile-9 vs school
White (2026)10th percentile-21 vs school
High school
Low Socio Economic Status (2023)38th percentile-19 vs school
Female (2026)32nd percentile~ school
White (2026)12th percentile-20 vs school
Male (2026)11th percentile-21 vs school
By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?
Reading32%-17 vs state
Math26%-19 vs state
Science15%-10 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Wm. M. Kelley Secondary

Wm. M. Kelley Secondary ranks 321st of 473 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Wm. M. Kelley Secondary is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : William Kelley Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 179 students attended Wm. M. Kelley Secondary.

Students at Wm. M. Kelley Secondary are 89% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, 1% African American.

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »
2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026
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


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.

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