Summary:
The 55342 zip code area is home to two schools - Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Elementary and Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Secondary, both part of the Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart school district. While the elementary school is a standout performer, ranking among the top schools in Minnesota, the secondary school lags behind in several key metrics.
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Elementary has consistently earned high rankings, placing 72nd out of 872 elementary schools in the state for the 2024-2025 school year and receiving a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. In contrast, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Secondary ranks 265th out of 450 high schools and only has a 2-star rating. The elementary school also outperforms the secondary school and the state averages on standardized tests, with 75.61% of students proficient in Math compared to 35.11% at the secondary school and 45.21% statewide.
Other key differences between the two schools include graduation and dropout rates, free/reduced lunch eligibility, and student-teacher ratios. Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Secondary had an 84.2% 4-year graduation rate and a 4.4% dropout rate, while Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Elementary had a higher free/reduced lunch rate of 61.05% and a lower student-teacher ratio of 12:1 compared to 15.4:1 at the secondary school. These factors may contribute to the stark contrast in academic performance between the two schools within the same district.
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