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Karlstad Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

689^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Karlstad Elementary is a PK–6 school in Karlstad, MN, serving 96 students in the Tri-County School District. In 2025–2026, the school ranked 689th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools (21st percentile, 1 star), a sharp drop from its high point in 2016–2017 when it ranked 45th of 853 (95th percentile, 5 stars). The district itself ranks higher, at 200th of 458 districts (56th percentile, 3 stars), meaning the school is currently a weaker link relative to its district's overall standing.

In 2025–2026, the school's all-grade proficiency was 40% in math and 34.7% in reading, both below district and state averages; science was suppressed by the state and should be treated as unknown. Reading is the clearest weakness, especially in 3rd and 4th grades, where proficiency was 21.4% and 23.1% compared with state averages of 46.8% and 48.8%. Among nearby schools, Greenbush Elementary is close in overall rank (19th percentile, 1 star) but has lower math and reading scores, while Newfolden Elementary ranks much higher (65th percentile, 3 stars) and outperforms the school by about 21.3 points in math and 23.4 points in reading. In grades 3 and 4, Newfolden Elementary is far ahead: 3rd-grade math 81.5% vs. 40%, 4th-grade math 45.7% vs. 23.1%, 3rd-grade reading 77.8% vs. 21.4%, and 4th-grade reading 42.9% vs. 23.1%.

The school has the highest free/reduced lunch rate among the three schools (47.92%), but Newfolden Elementary has a similar rate (44.09%) and much stronger results, and its student–teacher ratio (18.3) is higher than the school's (14.2)—so these factors alone do not explain the differences. The school's small enrollment (about 12 students per grade) means year-to-year swings can be large and the state suppresses some results for privacy, so recent science and grade-level figures should be read cautiously. The data suggest a need to focus on instructional effectiveness across reading and math, monitor subgroup performance, and consider practices from higher-performing peers like Newfolden Elementary, which serves a similar community and achieves above state averages in both subjects.

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,407

Per pupil spending ?

47.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

303 Pembina Trl S
Karlstad, MN 56732-0178

(218) 436-2374

District: Tri-County School District

Students who attend Karlstad Elementary usually attend:

High:

Tri-County Secondary

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.8%

Asian:

2.1%

African American:

1.0%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (37% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 65 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg42%

Minnesota avg43%

689^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 66 pts since 2016

From top 14% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

200^th of 458Tri-County 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	23.9	689 of 869	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.6	555 of 872	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.7	421 of 881	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.1	539 of 845	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.5	591 of 858	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.8	542 of 869	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.1	273 of 870	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.8	126 of 847	85.1%	★★★★☆
2017	86.9	45 of 853	94.7%	★★★★★
2016	80.3	115 of 848	86.4%	★★★★☆
2015	87.5	32 of 840	96.2%	★★★★★
2014	82.6	78 of 826	90.6%	★★★★★
2013	65.2	315 of 824	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	70.0	232 of 820	71.7%	★★★★☆
2011	68.6	250 of 814	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	73.9	162 of 803	79.8%	★★★★☆
2008	58.1	388 of 781	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	40.1	595 of 777	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	48.2	483 of 756	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	64.0	245 of 685	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	53.1	376 of 676	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2003	44.3	463 of 674	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	34.5	564 of 787	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.9	619 of 799	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	80.5	100 of 787	87.3%	★★★★☆
2018	87.0	40 of 774	94.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	48.9	415 of 774	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	485 of 663	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	7.0	693 of 710	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.7	609 of 714	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	592 of 730	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.9	627 of 712	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	659 of 725	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.1	600 of 710	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.3	414 of 722	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.8	360 of 712	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)46th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2023)28th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)2nd percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math40%-5 vs state

Reading35%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Karlstad 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Karlstad Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	303 Pembina Trl S	Karlstad	56732	Kittson County	Tri-County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 436-2374	96	7	14.2	47.9%	90 (93.8%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	2 (2.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	23.9	689^th of 869 public elementary schools	20.7%		41.6	555^th of 872 public elementary schools	36.4%	134	21.4	23.1		46.2	34.7			40.0	23.1		30.8	40.0	$13,407
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
Greenbush Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	401 Park Ave W	Greenbush	56726	Roseau County	Greenbush Middle River Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 782-2232	120	9	13.0	31.7%	109 (90.8%)	3 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	4 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	23.1	701^st of 869 public elementary schools	19.3%		38.9	582^nd of 872 public elementary schools	33.3%	119	17.6	16.7	27.3	61.1	31.9	9.1	9.1	35.3	25.0	0.0	38.9	23.2	$13,927

Frequently Asked Questions about Karlstad Elementary

How many students attend Karlstad Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 96 students attended Karlstad Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Karlstad Elementary?

Students at Karlstad Elementary are 94% White, 2% Asian, 1% African American, 1% Hispanic, 1% American Indian, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Karlstad Elementary attend?

Students who attend Karlstad Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Tri-County Secondary

Is Karlstad Elementary a good school?

Karlstad Elementary ranks in the bottom 20.7% of Minnesota elementary schools.

What district is Karlstad Elementary in?

Tri-County School District

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

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

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.