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River Bend Area Learning Center

Public Grades 7-12

386^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 473 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 18% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

River Bend Area Learning Center is a small public alternative school in New Ulm, Minnesota, serving grades 7–12 with about 43 students as part of the River Bend Education District, which also operates two other small alternative programs at or near the same address: the W.O.R.K. Program and River Bend Online Alternative Learning Center. Statewide, River Bend Area Learning Center ranked 386th of 473 Minnesota high schools in 2025–2026, placing it in the 18th percentile with 1 star — the highest percentile in its displayed rank history, but still in the bottom fifth of the state.

Test proficiency trails every nearby ranked school. All-grade proficiency was 9.5% in math, 31.6% in reading, and 12% in science, compared with 40.9%, 45.1%, and 58.6% at New Ulm High School and statewide figures of 44.9%, 48.6%, and 25.5%. Its 2024–2025 graduation rate was 57.8%, well below the state's 84.9% and below nearby schools such as Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Sec (94.4%) and Sleepy Eye Sec. (86.6%), though above the River Bend Education District average of 41.6%. Its dropout rate of 15.7% was more than triple the state's 4.2%.

Reading is the school's relative academic strength, and its reading and science proficiency sit above the district averages of 28.3% and 7.5%, while math is the weakest area. About 48.84% of students were eligible for free or reduced lunch in 2024–2025, higher than at Nicollet High School (14.57%) and New Ulm High School (24.75%), and the student-teacher ratio was 6.1. With only 43 students, year-to-year numbers swing widely: dropout rates have ranged from 7.1% to 25.8%, and math rose from 0% in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 to 9.5%. Some scores, including eighth-grade math, reading, and science, are suppressed by the state and should be treated as unknown rather than zero.

Students ?

6.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

48.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1315 S Broadway St
New Ulm, MN 56073-8888

(507) 359-8780

District: River Bend Education District

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.1%

Hispanic:

16.3%

African American:

2.3%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare River Bend Area Learning Center to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 6 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (17% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Minnesota average (58% vs 85%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg17%

Minnesota avg43%

386^th of 473

Minnesota public high schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 4% (2016) to bottom 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	21.0	386 of 473	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	463 of 480	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	422 of 476	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	3.4	465 of 472	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.7	413 of 428	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.9	491 of 492	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	440 of 494	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	12.6	405 of 489	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	4.0	467 of 489	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.8	447 of 504	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.9	446 of 534	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	5.1	496 of 539	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	10.4	453 of 545	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	17.2	417 of 540	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	6.9	430 of 460	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.0	450 of 463	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	11.2	392 of 450	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	3.8	429 of 452	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	8.4	389 of 433	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2018	1.9	383 of 395	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	29.3	287 of 377	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.6	370 of 370	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.3	329 of 374	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	11.6	366 of 395	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.1	404 of 411	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.0	371 of 398	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	10.1	367 of 394	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.2	397 of 401	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.0	361 of 364	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.0	411 of 412	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.9	397 of 414	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)24th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)7th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)7th percentile-12 vs school

Female (2018)3rd percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading32%-17 vs state

Science12%-14 vs state

Math10%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near River Bend Area Learning Center

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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 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
River Bend Area Learning Center	Public	7-12	1315 S Broadway St	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	River Bend Education District	No	No	No	No	(507) 359-8780	43	7	6.1	48.8%	34 (79.1%)	1 (2.3%)	7 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	21	386^th of 473 public high schools	18.4%					(n/a)				31.3	31.6		13.0	12.0				11.1	9.5
W.O.R.K. Program	Public	10-12	1315 S. Broadway St.	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	River Bend Education District	No	No	No	No	(507) 359-8780	8	2	4.3		6 (75.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
River Bend Alternative Learning Center Credit Recovery Prog	Public	9-12	1315 S Broadway St	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	River Bend Education District	No	No	No	No	(507) 359-8780	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
River Bend Online Alternative Learning Center	Public	9-12	1315 S Broadway St	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	River Bend Education District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(507) 359-8720	23	0		52.2%	17 (73.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (26.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
New Ulm CTE Center	Public	11-12	208 North Valley Street	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	New Ulm Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 233-6400	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
New Ulm High School	Public	9-12	1600 Oak Street	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	New Ulm Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 233-6400	687	38	18.1	24.7%	622 (90.5%)	4 (0.6%)	42 (6.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.2%)	79.4	80^th of 473 public high schools	83.1%		87.4	42^nd of 450 public high schools	90.7%	38				45.1	45.1		58.6	58.6				40.9	40.9	$13,014
Nicollet High School	Public	7-12	1 Pine St	Nicollet	56074	Nicollet County	Nicollet Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 232-3411	151	14	10.9	14.6%	141 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	56	222^nd of 473 public high schools	53.1%		79.7	82^nd of 450 public high schools	81.8%	140		36.8	76.5	43.8	51.9	23.5	25.0	24.2		31.6	58.8	35.3	41.5	$13,068
Sleepy Eye Sec.	Public	7-12	400 4th Ave SW	Sleepy Eye	56085	Brown County	Sleepy Eye Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 794-7904	238	22	10.6	35.3%	149 (62.6%)	1 (0.4%)	80 (33.6%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	66.3	156^th of 473 public high schools	67.0%		50.2	256^th of 450 public high schools	43.1%	100		40.0	32.6	36.6	35.9	4.5	45.2	24.4		30.0	28.9	38.2	32.1	$13,767
GFW High School	Public	9-12	1157 E 13th Street	Gibbon	55335	Sibley County	GFW Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(507) 207-2250	211	17	12.6	37.4%	159 (75.4%)	3 (1.4%)	39 (18.5%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	41.6	284^th of 473 public high schools	40.0%		34.8	320^th of 450 public high schools	28.9%	36				38.3	38.3		29.8	29.8				16.7	16.7	$15,574
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Sec	Public	6-12	607 Knights Ln	Lake Crystal	56055	Blue Earth County	Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial	No	No	No	No	(507) 726-2110	506	30	16.8	23.9%	469 (92.7%)	2 (0.4%)	23 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	74.8	106^th of 473 public high schools	77.6%		77.2	97^th of 450 public high schools	78.4%	9	50.6	43.2	45.9	47.1	46.8	8.2	41.8	25.8	42.0	37.8	49.2	41.5	42.3	$11,221

Frequently Asked Questions about River Bend Area Learning Center

How many students attend River Bend Area Learning Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 43 students attended River Bend Area Learning Center.

Is River Bend Area Learning Center a good school?

River Bend Area Learning Center ranks in the bottom 18.4% of Minnesota high schools.

What is the racial makeup of River Bend Area Learning Center?

Students at River Bend Area Learning Center are 79% White, 16% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What district is River Bend Area Learning Center in?

River Bend Education District

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Schools in New Ulm, 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.