Best High Schools in Zip Code 55082

ZIP code 55082 in Stillwater, Minnesota is home to five high schools serving grades 6 through 12 — ranging from a large comprehensive public high school to small charter, alternative, and transition programs — with a combined enrollment of 3,231 students. Enrollment is highly concentrated: Stillwater Area High School (grades 9–12, 2,658 students) accounts for 82.3% of all high-school enrollment, and St. Croix Preparatory Academy Upper (grades 9–12, 391 students) adds another 12.1%. The remaining three — St Croix Valley Area Learning Cntr. (grades 7–12, 75), New Heights School Inc. (grades 6–12, 70), and Bridge Transition Program (grade 12 only, 37) — together enroll roughly 5.6% of the area's students.

Academically, St. Croix Preparatory Academy Upper is the clear standout. Its district, St. Croix Preparatory Academy, ranks 3rd of 458 districts, and the school ranked 2nd of 473 in 2025–2026. It reports a 98.8% graduation rate, 0.0% dropout rate, and proficiency of 71.7% in Math, 69.7% in Reading, and 68.5% in Science. Stillwater Area High School, part of Stillwater Area Public Schools, performs above state averages at far greater scale: 96.0% graduation, 0.4% dropout, and proficiency of 56.1% in Math, 50.1% in Reading, and 44.3% in Science, despite a student-teacher ratio of 21.7. Bridge Transition Program reports no academic outcomes at all, only a 40.54% free/reduced lunch rate and the lowest student-teacher ratio in the group at 7.4.

The performance spread across the ZIP code is wide. In 2025–2026 Math, St. Croix Prep reports 71.7%, while New Heights reports 8% and St Croix Valley ALC reports an exact 0%; Reading and Science are suppressed for St Croix Valley ALC, and suppressed values are unknown rather than zero. Economic need clusters in the smallest settings: free/reduced lunch is 48.57% at New Heights, 45.33% at St Croix Valley ALC, and 40.54% at Bridge Transition, versus 9.21% at St. Croix Prep and 19.64% at Stillwater Area High School. Notably, graduation and dropout figures do not track test scores — New Heights posts a 90.0% graduation rate and 0.0% dropout rate alongside low proficiency — reflecting the different populations and missions these schools serve.