Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Minnesota rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Kennedy Elementary

Q: Is Kennedy Elementary a good school?

Kennedy Elementary ranks 581 st of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

581^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Kennedy Elementary is the largest elementary campus in Willmar, Minnesota — a PK–5 school at 824 7th St SW serving about 672 students, with a 12.2-to-1 student-teacher ratio, inside the Willmar Public School District, which ranks in the bottom third of Minnesota districts.

In 2025-26, Kennedy ranked 581st of 869 Minnesota elementary schools (33rd percentile, 2 stars) — its best showing in the ten years of data available, and it reversed a slide that had the school at 22nd percentile the year before. Scores rose in all three tested subjects compared with the prior year: math up 3.3 points to 41.2%, reading up 9.5 points to 40.4%, and science up 7.4 points to 18.2%. Kennedy beats its own district average in math (+2.4 points) and reading (+3.9 points), but still trails the state in every subject — the reading gap is widest at 8.2 points. About 68% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that has fallen nearly 7 points over two years, and class sizes are the second-smallest of the three Willmar elementaries.

Results vary a lot by grade. Fifth grade math (54.5%) is 12.6 points above the state average and the strongest of any Willmar elementary, while fourth grade math (25.6%) is roughly half the state rate — Kennedy's most acute weakness and the clearest difference from Roosevelt Elementary a mile away, which posts 45.2% in fourth grade math. Kennedy leads Willmar elementaries in reading and science. Low science scores are a regional pattern, not unique to Kennedy. Special education students rebounded to the 29th percentile after an extremely weak year, though that group remains the school's lowest-performing.

672

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,983

Per pupil spending ?

68.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

824 7th St SW
Willmar, MN 56201-3499

(320) 214-6688

District: Willmar Public School District

Students who attend Kennedy Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Willmar Middle School
High:	Willmar Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.0%

White:

31.0%

African American:

15.6%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Kennedy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 31st percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (38% vs 43% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg34%

Minnesota avg43%

581^st of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Willmar Public School District

331^st of 458Willmar 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	37.6	581 of 869	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.1	680 of 872	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.5	613 of 881	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.8	641 of 845	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	646 of 858	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.7	681 of 869	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.0	686 of 870	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.5	678 of 847	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.4	636 of 853	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	42.4	584 of 848	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	45.6	554 of 840	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	45.1	551 of 826	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.0	646 of 824	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.3	735 of 820	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.7	710 of 814	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.3	690 of 803	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	12.1	402 of 434	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	21.5	690 of 781	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	17.0	700 of 777	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.9	645 of 756	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	50.4	136 of 315	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.9	218 of 298	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.8	127 of 310	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.2	130 of 279	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.2	134 of 282	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.3	96 of 227	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.7	220 of 283	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.4	217 of 266	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	55.0	104 of 305	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	31.3	225 of 303	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.5	135 of 303	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.6	171 of 276	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.7	160 of 256	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.1	120 of 175	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.0	148 of 239	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	174 of 242	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	582 of 790	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.1	636 of 799	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.3	591 of 809	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	601 of 787	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	589 of 799	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.7	636 of 783	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	620 of 787	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	610 of 774	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	69 of 256	73.0%	★★★★☆
2025	52.6	92 of 238	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.4	112 of 249	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.6	141 of 214	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.7	90 of 209	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.8	82 of 153	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.2	127 of 219	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	115 of 220	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	43.3	458 of 764	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.9	553 of 764	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.5	490 of 793	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.0	589 of 774	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.6	430 of 663	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.2	505 of 683	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	585 of 740	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.8	584 of 728	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	43.7	492 of 807	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.8	633 of 812	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.4	561 of 826	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.2	632 of 799	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.9	627 of 808	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.9	633 of 784	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	650 of 798	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	635 of 779	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	32.7	410 of 579	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	529 of 562	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	511 of 572	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	468 of 524	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.6	353 of 500	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.9	335 of 417	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	484 of 515	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	35.5	311 of 463	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	45.8	398 of 710	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.8	520 of 714	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.9	457 of 730	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.2	397 of 712	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.8	360 of 725	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.7	539 of 710	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.5	356 of 722	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.9	295 of 712	58.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)73rd percentile+40 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)66th percentile+33 vs school

African American (2026)57th percentile+24 vs school

White (2026)44th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)40th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)39th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)29th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)26th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math41%-4 vs state

Reading40%-8 vs state

Science18%-7 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Kennedy Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Kennedy Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Kennedy Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Kennedy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	824 7th St SW	Willmar	56201	Kandiyohi County	Willmar Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 214-6688	672	55	12.2	68.5%	208 (31.0%)	105 (15.6%)	316 (47.0%)	24 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.8%)	37.6	581^st of 869 public elementary schools	33.1%		26.1	680^th of 872 public elementary schools	22.0%	99	41.0	30.3	49.0		40.4	18.2	18.2	41.9	25.6	54.5		41.2	$12,983
Roosevelt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 19th Ave SW	Willmar	56201	Kandiyohi County	Willmar Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 231-8470	580	47	12.4	64.5%	191 (32.9%)	123 (21.2%)	208 (35.9%)	31 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (4.5%)	39.7	567^th of 869 public elementary schools	34.8%		37.4	587^th of 872 public elementary schools	32.7%	20	30.2	37.6	53.8		39.8	17.9	17.9	42.1	45.2	52.6		46.3	$12,945
Lakeland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 Lakeland Drive SE	Willmar	56201	Kandiyohi County	Willmar Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 263-5020	623	47	13.3	72.2%	172 (27.6%)	75 (12.0%)	329 (52.8%)	23 (3.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.5%)	18.8	731^st of 869 public elementary schools	15.9%		13.6	765^th of 872 public elementary schools	12.3%	34	28.7	24.3	38.9		30.5	14.0	14.0	33.0	23.1	26.3		27.3	$12,031
Prairie Woods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	17435 County Road 9 NE	New London	56273	Kandiyohi County	New London-Spicer School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 354-2252	578	44	13.2	28.0%	509 (88.1%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (10.0%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	70.9	252^nd of 869 public elementary schools	71.0%		75.3	204^th of 872 public elementary schools	76.6%	48	46.7	57.9			53.0			66.4	67.1			66.8	$11,812
A.C.G.C. Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	302 S 2nd St	Atwater	56209	Kandiyohi County	A.C.G.C. Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 244-4686	369	32	11.5	53.7%	295 (79.9%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (16.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.0%)	58.8	364^th of 869 public elementary schools	58.1%		45.3	519^th of 872 public elementary schools	40.5%	155	36.9	58.1			47.2			58.5	61.3			59.8	$12,613
Murdock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	408 Hollis St N	Murdock	56271	Swift County	Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 875-2441	395	35	11.4	40.5%	297 (75.2%)	2 (0.5%)	83 (21.0%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	5 (1.3%)	52.3	431^st of 869 public elementary schools	50.4%		61.5	356^th of 872 public elementary schools	59.2%	75	42.4	57.8	52.6	52.7	51.1	12.8	12.8	55.9	60.9	32.1	50.0	47.7	$11,477
MACCRAY Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	711 Wolverine Drive	Clara City	56222	Chippewa County	MACCRAY School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(320) 847-2154	320	32	10.0	45.9%	256 (80.0%)	2 (0.6%)	51 (15.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	5 (1.6%)	51.7	443^rd of 869 public elementary schools	49.0%		43.9	530^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.2%	87	44.1	51.9	44.2		46.7	17.0	17.0	67.8	55.4	36.5		53.9

Frequently Asked Questions about Kennedy Elementary

What schools do graduates of Kennedy Elementary attend?

Students who attend Kennedy Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Willmar Middle School
High : Willmar Senior High

How many students attend Kennedy Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 672 students attended Kennedy Elementary.

Is Kennedy Elementary a good school?

Kennedy Elementary ranks 581^st of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Kennedy Elementary in?

Willmar Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Kennedy Elementary?

Students at Kennedy Elementary are 47% Hispanic, 31% White, 16% African American, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

Rate Kennedy Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MNMinnesota Elementary School Rankings

MNMinnesota District Rankings

Schools in Willmar, MN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Kennedy Elementary!

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.